Mumbai fights back

Battle begins at Jewish center; the death toll mounts as troops search attack sites for hostages and bodies

MUMBAI, INDIA -- Security forces assaulted a Jewish center in Mumbai this morning where Muslim militants were believed to be holding hostages. Black-clad commandos dropped from a helicopter as sharpshooters opened fire on the five-story building.

The attack came as troops scoured two luxury hotels room-by-room for survivors and holed-up militants, more than a day after a chain of attacks across India's financial center by suspected Muslim militants left at least 119 people dead.

The coordinated strikes by small bands of gunmen starting Wednesday night left the city shell-shocked. The sporadic gunfire and explosions at the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels dwindled by this morning, indicating the siege might be winding down.

At the headquarters of the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch, a commando assault began shortly after dawn following a tense night in which six trucks of soldiers were brought in to surround the building.

Snipers stationed in buildings opposite the center began the attack with sustained fire on the building, and at least nine commandos lowered themselves by rope onto the roof from a circling Indian air force helicopter.

Security forces searched the rooms at the hotels -- two of the top gathering spots for the Mumbai elite -- but there were no gunbattles or blasts. Commandos had spent much of Thursday bringing out hostages, trapped guests and corpses from the hotels while firefighters battled flames. The fires were out by Friday.

State officials said 119 people had died and 288 were injured in the attacks.

The gunmen were well-prepared, even carrying large bags of almonds to keep up their energy during the fight. Their main targets appeared to be Americans, Britons and Jews, though most of the dead seemed to be Indians and foreign tourists caught in the random gunfire.

The gunmen -- some of whom strode casually through their targets in khakis and T-shirts -- clearly came ready for a siege.

"They have AK-47s and grenades. They have bags full of grenades and have come fully prepared," said Maj. Gen. R.K. Hooda.

Inside knowledge

Ratan Tata, who runs the company that owns the elegant Taj Mahal, said they appeared to have scouted their targets in advance.

"They seem to know their way around the back office, the kitchen. There has been a considerable amount of detailed planning," he told a news conference.

The Maharashtra state home ministry said dozens of hostages had been freed from the Oberoi and dozens more were still trapped inside. More than 400 people were brought out of the Taj Mahal on Thursday.

Authorities said they had killed three gunmen at the Taj.

It remained unclear just how many people had been taken hostage, how many were hiding inside the hotels and how many dead still lay uncounted.

The motive for the onslaught was not immediately clear, but Mumbai has frequently been targeted in terrorist attacks blamed on Islamic extremists, including a series of bombings in July 2006 that killed 187 people.

Analysts around the world were debating whether the gunmen could have been tied to -- or inspired by -- al-Qaida.

"It's clear that it is al-Qaida style," but probably not carried out by the group's militants, said Rohan Gunaratna, of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore and author of "Inside Al-Qaida."

Gunaratna said the attacks were a "watershed" for India, "because for the first time, the terrorists deliberately attacked international targets," he said, noting that symbolic high-profile targets had been chosen, apparently to magnify the effects of the violence.

Indian media reports said a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen claimed responsibility in e-mails to several media outlets. The Deccan Plateau is a region in southern India that was traditionally ruled by Muslim kings.

Relations between Hindus, who make up more than 80 percent of India's 1 billion population, and Muslims, who make up about 14 percent, have sporadically erupted into bouts of sectarian violence since British-ruled India was split into independent India and Pakistan in 1947.