Commandos Storm Besieged Building in India, 5 Hostages Dead

Indian commandos stormed the Mumbai, India headquarters of an orthodox Jewish group on Friday, finding the dead bodies of five hostages and two of the gunmen who had taken the building. Meanwhile, battles took place at the Taj Mahal hotel and other sites around the Indian financial district. Gunmen attacked 10 sites starting last Wednesday night and thus far over 150 people have been killed in the violence, with over 370 wounded.

The Taj Mahal has been the scene of the most intense fighting since the sieges originally took place. On Friday, Indian forces began launching grenades into the building. Thus far, at least nine gunmen have been killed and one has been arrested. It is reported that there are at least six of the gunmen still holed up in the Taj Mahal according to R. Patil, an official in Maharashtra state. Said J.K. Dutt, director general of India’s National Security Guard commando unit, "The hotel is under our control." The National Security Guard is an elite unit intended to combat threats of this nature, when precision is of the utmost importance.

It is not entirely clear what the impetus is for the attacks, though the initial indication is that some elements in Pakistan are responsible. Pranub Mukherjee, speaking with reporters in Jodhpur, noted, "Proof cannot be disclosed at this time," indicating by his words that he was not accusing Pakistan of the attacks, but rather, terrorists that were living or training in the area. Responding to the violence and comments out of India, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Ahmeh Mukhtar told reporters, "I will say in very categoric terms that Pakistan is not involved in these gory incidents."