I’m with Allahpundit on this one, the most worrisome part to me is the sheer scope of the attacks. We’re talking 10 coordinated attacks all across the city (here’s a Google Map that shows where the attack sites are located) all going down at the same time. I’ve seen some reports around the blogosphere putting the number of suspects around the 100 mark. We’ve got a little known group called Deccan Mujahideen claiming responsibility for these attacks and, while that may be true, I highly doubt that a small homegrown terrorist group could pull something like this off without help from one of the big boys. Some point the finger at AQ due to an increase in chatter over the past few weeks. Some point the finger at Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani outfit with ties to both AQ and Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence. The focus of these attacks were spots frequented by Westerners, and the attackers specifically asked for those with US and British passports for hostages, so I’m inclined to view this as an attack against US and British civilians as well as an attack on Mumbai. Another interesting facet is that fact that the terrorist managed to take down some of Mumbai’s top cops too.
The attacks have taken a tragic toll on the city’s top police brass: The high-profile chief of the anti-terror squad Hemant Karkare was killed; Mumbai’s additional commissioner of police (east) Ashok Kamte was gunned down outside the Metro; and celebrated encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar was also killed.
How (and why) the hell did they manage to pull that off? Were those men coincidental collateral damage or secondary targets?
As far as anyone can tell right now there are 125 dead and 327 injured, the vast majority of both numbers Indians. Horrible. Just horrible.
PS – In other fun terrorist news, the FBI and the NYPD are acting on intel suggesting that AQ might try to bomb Penn Station sometime this weekend. Fan-tastic.
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November 27, 2008 at 12:31 pm
On this Election Day, America sent the same old Democrat signal.
“America’s weak again, so pile on!”
The difference now is, Americans should know better, but they don’t.
So when civilians in liberal American cities die, and they will, who is to blame?
They are.
Who will they try to blame?
Bush for “inciting it.”
If the RNC lets them get away with that, if the rest of America lets them get away with that, then they too, have CHOSEN a form of suicide.
The Democrats are WRONG on all national security issues. They are WRONG on all constitutional issues.
Where are the Republican voices driving this point home? Are they too busy polishing their “future Democrat” resumes?