Posted on 12/01/2008 5:20:56 AM PST by reaganaut1
Around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, one dinghy with half a dozen young men landed at a trash-strewn fishing harbor near the southern tip of the Mumbai peninsula, witnesses say; a second arrived nearby shortly after. Mostly in their early- to mid-20s, the men came ashore wearing dark clothes and hauling heavy bags and backpacks, according to fisherman Ajay Mestry, who saw one of the landings. The group he saw split up and raced toward the shimmering city.
...
B.S. Sidhu, head of the Railway Protection Force for the Mumbai region, says that while some officers tried to fight back, there was little his force could do. Most police officers at the station -- as they are throughout India -- were unarmed or carried only bamboo sticks known as lathis.
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By then, shooting had begun in two other spots: Mumbai's most luxurious hotels, symbols of the city's prosperity that were packed with tourists, visiting executives, and the local elite out for dinner. The historic Taj Mahal Palace & Tower and a complex housing both the Oberoi and Trident hotels rise high above the sea on opposite sides of the southern tip of Mumbai.
At about 9:45 p.m., two gunmen, slender and in their mid-20s, ran up the circular driveway at the entrance to the Trident. They shot the security guard and two bellhops. The hotel had metal detectors, but none of its security personnel carried weapons because of the difficulties in obtaining gun permits from the Indian government, according to the hotel company's chairman, P.R.S. Oberoi.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
The stories certainly bring up thoughts of “What would I do” in that situation?
I suppose I’ll be looking at hotel and restaurant escape exits entirely differntly for the foreseeable future. And maybe learning a little arabic
These guys spoke Urdu, not Arabic.
they don’t recite the koran in urdu
And some urban warfare training would seem to be in order.
The armed responders were still at a disadvantage. The terrorists were absolutely ruthless. The only rule they had was that they must destroy as much as possible. Armed or not, the cops' job was just the opposite; to protect as much as they can. They ethically aren't allowed to waco the hotel and everyone in it to get two offenders to stop. The only way to deal with those assholes is to kill them in their nests, wherever that might be, before they go abroad and rase their hell. just like cockroaches, termites, or other such.
OK, the policemen at the train station were unarmed/ carried bamboo sticks! And the security folks at the hotels were unarmed, ‘due to the fact that it is so terribly difficult in India to get a gun permit.’ EXCEPT FOR BAD GUYS.
There you go — the missing link, the answer to ‘how could this have happened?’
Thanks once again to our Founding Fathers for including gun rights.
Nonsense. Killing them on site is perfectly acceptable. There is no need to start a foreign war if all you’re trying to stop is foreign gunmen.
What we need to figue out is that armed terrorists are not our problem; Americans that prevent us from being able to respond to armed terrorists are our problem.
Yes. Thank you.
Exactly.
And the first defense is an armed populace and police force. The Indians were defenseless (see quotes below).
Probably a top reason why terrorists go after New York City - its citizens are unarmed.
“B.S. Sidhu, head of the Railway Protection Force for the Mumbai region, says that while some officers tried to fight back, there was little his force could do. Most police officers at the station — as they are throughout India — were unarmed or carried only bamboo sticks known as lathis.”
“At about 9:45 p.m., two gunmen, slender and in their mid-20s, ran up the circular driveway at the entrance to the Trident. They shot the security guard and two bellhops. The hotel had metal detectors, but none of its security personnel carried weapons because of the difficulties in obtaining gun permits from the Indian government, according to the hotel company’s chairman, P.R.S. Oberoi.”
well said
Security at such a busy train station, given the constant level of terror attacks on India, was criminally negligent and unprepared.
I do not understand Isreal, US, Europe, and etc when dealing with terrorism other than using military force or hand wring. There are equally effective options that do not conjure images of retaliation or big power hurting little power. India should find out from the surviving terrorist what villages the other terrorists came from. Then have Indian intel send packed car bombs into these village market places and have them go off killing as many Pakis muzzies as possible. Then the government of India will condemn the attacks with a broad smile on his face. Pakies muzzies will be told in an indirect way that two can play the same game. US and Isreal can watch an learn.
You're on the 77th floor, your 1911 is cocked and locked. A 757 is heading right at your window. What do you do? What do you do?
urdu and mostly punjabi
you’re not expected to understand the K when you recite it, just memorise it syllable for syllable.
Moral: Never take a gun to an airplane fight.
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