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| Oberoi, Nariman House secured, battle rages on | | WAR ON MUMBAI | | AGENCIES
MUMBAI, Nov 28
• ISI Chief summoned to India
The terror war on Mumbai was on the verge of ending tonight with security forces securing the 5-star Oberoi hotel and a Jewish Centre but a lone gunman continued to hold out inside the Taj hotel at the end of pitched combat that left 30 hostages dead.
At the Centre, a residential complex housing a prayer hall, commandos were air dropped from helicopters in first such operation in urban India the security forces spent the entire day to clear it. Two terrorists were killed but not before five of the hostages were eliminated by them.
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 30 hostages were found dead raising the toll in the worst terrorist strike against India to over 160 including 16 security personnel. 11 terrorists were also eliminated, one was captured and one, possibly two, were still inside the Taj.
Meanwhile, angered by the Mumbai terror strikes, India today forced Pakistan to send its ISI chief here to provide evidence about the role of Pakistan- based "elements" in the "outrageous" attacks as it made clear that the bilateral ties would be hurt if these don't stop.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani that investigators had found involvement of Pakistan-based elements in the attacks in the commercial capital.
He told Gilani that Pakistan should send its ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha to New Delhi "to cooperate in the investigations of the Mumbai attack and for sharing certain information".
Pakistan agreed to Singh's proposal and said Pasha would travel to New Delhi soon, for which modalities would be worked out by the two sides.
During the telephonic conversation with Singh, Zardari assured him that Islamabad "will cooperate with India in exposing and apprehending the culprits and masterminds behind" the attacks in Mumbai.
The President told Singh "non-state actors wanted to force upon the governments their own agenda but they must not be allowed to succeed. We should not fall into the trap of the militants." External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee called up his counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is in New Delhi, and bluntly told him that if "outrages" like Mumbai attack don't stop, it would be "impossible" to ensure a "leap" in the bilateral relations that is desired. |
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