New Delhi: The 2008 Mumbai attacks, also known as the 26/11 attacks remain one of the most heinous terrorist attacks perpetrated in India, possibly the biggest terrorist attacks. In November 2008, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks took place in Mumbai when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out 12 shooting and bombing attacks which lasted for four days. The attacks started on November 26 and lasted until November 29, 2008. A total of 175 people died, including nine of the attackers, and over 300 people were injured.
How did the attacks take place?
A group of men which numbered between 24 and 26 were trained in marine warfare at a remote camp in Pakistan’s Muzaffarabad. Of the recruits, 10 people were handpicked for the Mumbai attack and they were also trained in sailing and swimming and were taught the use of high-end weapons and explosives.
First, the terrorists hijacked an Indian fishing boat, killed five people on board and came ashore at two locations in Colaba. Then the terrorists split up and took two different ways. Two terrorists, Ajmal Kasab and Ismail Khan attacked the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and killed 58 people and injured 104 others by opening heavy fire. The attackers then went to the Cama Hospital to kill patients, but patient wards were locked by the hospital staff. Kasab was later arrested after an intense struggle with the police.
On the very same day, November 26, two attackers, Nazir alias Abu Umer and Shoaib alias Soheb opened fire at the Leopold Cafe and killed 10 people apart from injuring many more. Two bomb blasts took place in taxis with the first one occurring at Vile Parle which killed the driver and a passenger. At Wadi Bunder, the second explosion took place and it killed three people apart from injuring 15 others.
The terrorists also targeted two hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the Oberoi Trident. In the Taj Hotel, six explosions were reported and on the first night there, firefighters used ladders from windows and rescued 200 hostages. By the early morning of November 28, except for the Taj Hotel, the Mumbai Police and security forces had secured all other places. On November 29, the National Security Guards (NSG) conducted Operation Black Tornado and ended the attacks at the Taj Hotel.
In November 2008, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks took place in Mumbai when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out 12 shooting and bombing attacks which lasted for four days. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
