It has been twelve years since November 26, 2008, when a series of deadly terrorist attacks rocked India’s financial capital Mumbai, the tremors of which were felt not just in India but across the world, but the wounds are still fresh in the hearts and minds of the survivors. 26/11 was a watershed moment for India after which its outlook towards terrorism changed forever.
On this day, ten members of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba entered Mumbai via sea route and carried out 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across the city. At least 166 people died and over 300 were wounded in the wake of the attacks. Nine out of the ten terrorists were neutralized while the sole surviving attacker Mohammed Ajmal Kasab was executed after a trial in 2012.
Here is how the 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks unfolded:
Ten terrorists left Karachi port in Pakistan on a boat on November 23, 2008 and hijacked an Indian fishing trawler MV Kuber on the way. Then, the armed men killed four crew members. Hours before reaching Mumbai coastline on the evening of November 26, they killed Captain Amarchand Solanki.
The terrorists took three inflatable speedboats to reach a fishermen settlement at Machhimar Nagar in Mumbai where they broke into smaller groups and head different ways.
The first group, which included Ajmal Kasab and Ismail Khan, hit Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus ‘CST railway station. They began indiscriminate firing into the crowd which lasted about 90 minutes, leaving 58 people dead and over a hundred wounded.
The second group attacked the Nariman House, where they took a rabbi, his wife and five other Israelis hostage and later killed them. Two-year-old Baby Moshe was rescued by his nanny.
Four terrorists struck the third site, a posh restaurant Leopold Café. They opened fire into the crowd which last 10-15 minutes. They also planted bombs in two taxis killing five people dead and injuring 15.
The terrorists entered the iconic Taj Mahal hotel and rounded up the guests. They began shooting and throwing grenades.
Around the same time, two terrorists attacked the Oberoi-Trident Hotel, where they open fire into the crowd.
Meanwhile, Kasab and Ismail Khan, after hit CST, arrive at the Cama Hospital. The Anti-Terrorism Squad reaches the site who are ambushed by the terrorists, resulting in death of six police officers including the chief Hemant Karkare. The terrorists who tried to flee away in hijacked police jeep were intercepted. Kasab is arrested while Khan is killed.
By midnight, different units of police surrounded the Taj Mahal hotel and the Oberoi-Trident hotel. The central dome of the Taj Mahal hotel is blown.
A team of 200 NSG commandos reach Mumbai to carry out rescue operations in the two hotels. The troops take control of the Nariman House. They also secure Oberoi-Trident Hotel where they rescue 35-40 hostages.
In the morning of November 29, the commandos secure the Taj Mahal hotel lobby. The last of the terrorists were neutralized. The three-day siege left about 31 people dead.
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