MUMBAI: The terror war on Mumbai is on
the verge of ending with security forces securing the 5-star Oberoi hotel and a
Jewish Centre(Nariman House) but gunmen (numbers unclear) continued to hold out
inside the Taj hotel at the end of pitched combat that left 30 hostages dead.
(
Watch
)
At
the Centre (Nariman House), a residential complex housing a prayer hall,
commandos were air dropped from helicopters in a first such operation ever. Two
terrorists were killed but not before five of the hostages were eliminated by
them. (
Watch
)
A
clean-up operation was still on late tonight at the Centre where the victims
reportedly included the Rabbi and his wife.
The might of the Indian
security forces had to be brought in to rid these landmarks in the country's
financial capital of the heavily-armed suspected Pakistani terrorists who seized
the two hotels and the Centre on Wednesday night, but the costs were heavy on
both sides.
When the Oberoi was cleared of the terrorists this
afternoon, as many as a total of 30 hostages were found dead in the hotel
raising the toll in the worst terrorist strike against India to over 160
including 16 security personnel. Two terrorists were killed at the Trident
Oberoi hotel. 11 terrorists were also eliminated, one was captured and some are
still inside the Taj.
"The Oberoi Trident is totally clear of
terrorists and is now under our control. The two terrorists holed up there have
been killed," NSG Director General J K Dutt told reporters outside the hotel in
south Mumbai after more than a day of fierce exchange of fire between his
commandos and terrorists.
"We are sanitising every room to make sure
no undesirable elements are there and relief can be provided to guests there,"
Dutt said.
24 bodies were found in the search operations in Oberoi
hotel, Police Commissioner Hasan Ghafur told reporters adding six hostages were
killed on Wednesday by the terrorists under a staircase while taking them to the
roof. While the 34-floor Trident has 541 rooms, the adjacent 11-storeyed Oberoi
has 327 rooms. (
Watch
)
At
the 565-room Taj, commandoes continued to be engaged in fierce exchange of fire
with terrorists who are believed to be moving between floors. "We are trying to
corner one terrorist," Dutt said.
The NSG has recovered two AK-47
assault rifles, one 9 mm pistol and some unexploded grenades. (
Watch
)
The
arrested terrorist is a Pakistani national and the state police has acquired a
lot of information about the whole plan for the strikes.
M L
Kumawat, Secretary (internal Security) in the Union Home Ministry, told
reporters in Delhi that Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan of the NSG was killed during
the encounter with terrorists in Taj while another commando Omkar Chander was
killed in Nariman House. (
Watch
)
He
said a 60-member fresh contingent of NSG commandos was dispatched from Delhi
today in addition to two contingents already there. 475 commandos are engaged in
the operations.
"It is just a matter of a few hours before we will
be able to wrap up things," Southern Command Chief Lt Gen Noble Thamburaj told
reporters in Mumbai outside Taj hotel as 35 hostages, including foreigners and a
six-month old infant, were successfully rescued from Oberoi-Trident.
The new building of Taj hotel has been totally flushed out and
cleared and handed over to police, he said adding that some terrorists, had
moved into the adjacent old heritage building.
"We have heard the
sound of a woman and a man, giving indications that they are being held
hostage," Thamburaj said but added that almost all guests and staff in the hotel
have been evacuated.