2008 Mumbai attack, Laskar-e-Tabia, and Pakistani ISI

2008 MUMBAI ATTACK
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Introduction
In the year 2008, there happened to be a bombing attack in Mumbai that came with much destruction. It was not the first neither was it the last of such attacks. There have been various attacks of the same in the world over especially in the recent times following an escalation of terrorist groups. There was a linkage of the Mumbai attack to the Laskar-e-Tabla by the police. In this paper, there is an in-depth discussion of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the connection of the same to the Lashkar-e-Taiba group. There is also an analysis of the possible aid that LeT may have received from Pakistan intelligence, (ISI), both before and after the attack.
The attack
The attack in Mumbai in 2008 was not a single bombing. There was involvement of a series of bombings and shootings. The attack was the work of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamic militant group with its basis in Pakistan, which organized for the shootings and bombings. In total, there was a coordination of 12 series of shootings and bombings. The unleashing of the attacks took place for four days following the complications of the executions. The attacks began on the 26th day of November and went on until 29th of November.
By the end of the attacks, there happened to be 164 casualties as well as over 300 wounded individuals. “Following the grievance of the assault, there was a worldwide condemnation of the Mumbai attacks.” There was much concentration of the attacks in the southern part of Mumbai whereby; there happened eight of the twelve attacks.

There happened to be a quick response from the police whereby; by the 28th day of November, there had been securing of all the places of attack, except Taj Mall. On the 29th day of November, the day that the attack came to an end, there happened to be an operation from the National Security guards which had the title, operation block tornado. The operation aimed at flushing out any remaining attackers who could be in hiding.
There was much success in the action as it led to the killing of the last remaining attackers who were hiding in the Taj hotel. With that murder of the last terrorists, there was an attack to the long lasting attack by the militants. However, there was the remaining part on the side of Mumbai, that of seeing treatment of the injured, burial of the casualties as well as attainment of assurance to the citizens following the attacks.
There was a candid disclosure from Ajmal Kasab that the perpetrators of the attacks were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba. There was a declaration from the government of India that the attackers were from Pakistan and that there was a controlling command from the same place, under which the attackers were acting. In 2009, the year after the attack, there was a declaration from the government that the only surviving perpetrator of the assault was a citizen of Pakistan. These statements brought much conviction to the origin of the attackers being Pakistan where they had their command and control. On that same year, the ringleader of the attacks got a bail against a surety bond of an equivalent of US $ 2,000 in Pakistan.
The attackers and training
Much of the training of the 2008 Mumbai attackers took place in Mangla Dam and the mountains of Muzaffarabad. The training is said to have been to a group of the militiamen ranging from 24 to 26. The training was comprehensive, including marine warfare as there was no specification. The studies later conducted by the United States and India indicated that there had been a division of the training in various segments. Each of the trainees had to undergo all the stages of the training for them to be declared fit for the engagement in attacks.
The first stage was the mental training whereby; there was indoctrination in the Islamic affairs. However, there was much exaggeration of facts and extended association of the training with the suffering of Muslims in India, Palestine and everywhere across the globe. Such indoctrination was to give justification for the atrocities to be committed so that one does not start to feel guilty and leave the attacks unaccomplished. There had to be the conviction that there was every worth in carrying out the attacks. “There is a significant connection between the indoctrination of that time and what is happening today in most parts of the world where Islamic militia is seeking roots such as through the training of youths.” There has been a misuse of the doctrines concerning Islam with the aim of convincing attackers, or potential attackers that there is nothing wrong in killing to defend one’s faith.
The next step was the combat training. This aspect entailed the training in basic unleashing of combat such that one could attack and defend physically. The third stage was the advanced training. After an individual had mastered the basic combat skills, there was an introduction and intensive training in the usage of weapons for attack. The weapons involved were not the small scale; rather there was involvement of the superior ones. There was also engagement in training concerning explosives. The advanced training was highly complicated and got the supervision of the retired military officers of Pakistan. Under their supervision, there was every effort of ensuring that the recruits were advanced in the skills of using the advanced weapons as well as the explosives.
Refining the skills
“With the refinement of the recruits in those skills, there was assurance that it would be possible to unleash an attack of a high magnitude such as the one in Mumbai in 2008.” It was also such kind of training that saw the engagement in series of attacks for several days instead of the usual one day and one time attack. The advanced training included the tactics of survival in case one is left with many injuries, or they are forced to stay in an enclosed place for quite an extended period. The advanced training also came with further indoctrination; indoctrination so deep that; there would be no room for going back to the innocence of conscience with which an individual came.
The final stage was the commando training. This training involved a small group which would get the selection to engage in commando tactics and marine navigation. The commando tactics would enable unleashing of a high degree of attacks. The marine navigation was also essential for an attack such as the one that took place in Mumbai. It can be in an argument that; the training had a focus of unleashing the attacks in Mumbai as they came to be.
The training was rigorous, and there was no room for acceptance of any slight weakness in the performance. On such grounds then, there were conclusions, from the supervisors of the training, that ten of the over twenty trainees were not fit for the Mumbai attacks. These findings followed the considerations of the intensity of the Mumbai attacks, as there was a target of attaining the series attacks right from the planning. Those who were found to be fit for the assault received further training in swimming and sailing to ensure that there was no loophole in their undertaking. “There was also further advanced training on the usage of high-end weapons and explosives in a manner that was way ahead of the general police training.” The LeT commanders saw the supervision of the training of the usage of the high-end weapons and the explosives.
The intelligence agencies from the US established under anonymous conditions that there was much assistance in preparation by the former army officers of Pakistan. There was also a continued intensive support of the inter-services intelligence agency in the training of the militants. It is the involvement of those high-ranking organizations that gets the association with the advanced attacks that were in series in the Mumbai 2008 attacks. The agencies went to the extents of providing the militants with the blueprints of the target areas including the Taj Mahal. The blueprint was the guiding article in the areas of attacks, for it was in those areas where there had been the establishment of the high likelihoods of succeeding in causing the havoc, which was the only target in the attack.
The attacks
The activities leading to the attacks started on the 26th day of November 2008 at around 8 PM Indian time. Ten men arrived at the shores in Colaba aboard inflatable speedboats. The fishermen around tried to enquire their identity, but the people brushed them off, telling them to mind their own business, though they were all talking in different languages. The fishermen realized that these were not usual people and they also sensed danger. As the fishermen were wondering what kind of people these were, the group divided into two, and they all vanished in different directions. The fishermen took it upon themselves to report to the local police. The police did not offer a positive response as they appeared to be helpless on the matter and again, they did not suppose that the people could be in a link with the grief that would befall the country following their unleashing of terror.
“The first attack was in Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.” At around half past nine PM, two men entered the passengers’ hall and started firing indiscriminately. The guns they were using came to be identified later as Ak 47 riffles. In that one attack, there was the killing of 58 people, while more than 100 got injuries, many of them critical. One of the attackers at the terminus was later caught alive by the police, and there was identification by eyewitnesses.
There was the arrival of the security forces and emergency service shortly after the departure of the attackers towards 11 pm. There was much hailing of the announcement by the railway announce who alerted many passengers to leave the station hence; averting many deaths. There was much display of arrogance by the attackers. After leaving the terminus, they went along the roads shooting at pedestrians and police officer. In total, they gunned down eight police officers. They attempted attack to a police station, but the police, on realizing that they could not match their veracity, they switched off the lights and secured their gates.
Cama Hospital attempt
The next target was the Cama hospital with the intention of killing patients. However, there happened to be much diligence of the staff at the Cama hospital. They closed the doors to the patients’ wards hence, leaving no room for the attackers to unleash their terror. In the course of the movements to make the attacks, the two terrorists at one point engaged in a fire exchange with the police. In the process, one of the attackers, Khan, was killed. The other, Kasab, got wounded and happened to be arrested.
“Another attack was at Leopold Café, a favorite bar and restaurant in Colaba in the Southern parts of Mumbai.” The attack was on the same night as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, 26th November. Two attackers opened fire in the restaurant and killed ten people, among them foreigners. Many other people received injuries ranging from legs to head. Time bombers made blasts in various taxis where they discreetly planted them. At Vile Parle, a bomb went off in a taxi, killing the driver and a passenger instantly. At Wadi Bunder, another bomb exploded inside a vehicle claiming the lives of the driver and three passengers, while many tourists around the place got injuries.
At the Taj Hotel, there was the placement of six bombs at the place. One was in the lobby; there were two bombs in elevators and three more in the restaurant. There was rescuing of more than 200 people in the Taj Mahal by firefighters in the night of the attack. The rescue was from windows using ladders to save lives. “The initial reports from the police indicated that there had been a complete rescue of all the hostages in the Taj Mahal in the night of the attack.” However, it came to emerge later, that there had been two attackers inside the hotel who were holding more hostages inside the place, who included foreigners.
The Trident Hotel
The attack at the Oberoi Trident hotel was at the same time with the Taj Hotel. There was a placement of an explosion in the hotel which led to much destruction including shattering of the windows. The president of Madrid was caught up in the shooting while checking in at the Trident Hotel; adding to the later much condemnation of the attack in the global perspective. There happened to be a three day siege in the hotel, and at the end of it all, more than thirty staff and guests were dead.
Other two attackers unleashed gun terror on the Nariman House, a Jewish center in Colaba. In the house, there was taking of hostage of several people. In the efforts of allowing a secure exchange of fire between the police and the attackers, there was an evacuation of the residents in the nearby houses. Afterward, there was gunfire exchange which led to the wounding of one of the militiamen. There was giving out of instructions for the residents to stay indoors for their safety. Upon the realization that the police were about to defeat them, the attackers threw a grenade to a nearby lane. Fortunately, there happened to be no casualty from the attempt. The National Security Guards commandos arrived promptly from Delhi and immediately started an aerial surveillance of the place using a naval helicopter. There was rescuing of about ten people from the first floor on the first day.
On the second day, the commandos from the National Security Guards embarked on fast-roping from the helicopters and descended on the rooftop of the house. After a long bitter exchange of fire, there was gunning down of the two attackers alongside one of the commandos. It later emerged that; the attackers had killed a family in the house, including a six months pregnant woman. There were realizations that; the commanders from Pakistan would provoke the attackers by telling them that the life of a Jew was 50 times worth that of a non-Jew. The provocation was in line with the indoctrination that the attackers had received during the psychological part of their training. Such provocations had led to the torture of the victims of the attacks before murdering.
Attribution
“There came to be conclusions that the Mumbai 2008 attacks received guidance and training from the Lashkar-e-Taiba militants inside Pakistan.” The government of Pakistan came to admit that the LeT in the country aided the attacks by offering training and financing. In late 2009, there was charging of seven men by the Pakistan authorities following the association with the Mumbai 2008 attacks. In Mumbai, there was arresting of 37 people associated with the planning and execution of the attacks in 2008. 35 of those had Pakistan origin. In the United States, two attackers arrested during the performance of an attack in the states were found to have had links with the Mumbai 2008 attacks. Such incidences gave all the much conviction that the heart of the planning and financing of the Mumbai 2008 attacks was in Pakistan.
In April 2011, the United States issued warrants for the arrest of four Pakistan men, who were members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, and who were believed to have engaged in giving training to the Mumbai 2008 attackers.
The Negotiations
Initially, there was denial from Pakistan that her citizens were involved in the planning and execution of the Mumbai 2008 attacks.Pakistan placed the blame on Bangladesh and India criminal. However, on July 2009, there was an official admission from Pakistan authorities that; the trainers and executioners of the Mumbai 2008 attacks were Pakistanis. There was registration of the cases for four Pakistan nationals for involvement in the attacks, either through training or execution. The admissions of Pakistan government concerning the participation of the citizens in the assault followed the provision of evidence by India in the form of weapons and also radio recordings of the conversations that were taking place between the attackers and the control that had a basis in Pakistan. There was also an Indian report that contained the summary of the interrogations that set the provisions that the Pakistan Intelligence Agency (ISI) had engaged in providing training and fiscal support for reconnaissance attempts in Mumbai.
Conclusion
The Mumbai 2008 attack brought significant levels of terror to the Indians in the various places that received the attacks. The attacks were in series whereby; there happened to be 12 of them, with much concentration on the southern parts of Mumbai. It came to emerge later that there had been a much vigorous training of the attackers before the attacks. The attackers were Pakistan nationals, although there happened to be initial denials by the Pakistan authorities. The attackers received training and financial aid from the Lashkar-e-Taiba, with its basis in Pakistan. There also came to be realizations that the Le and ISI played significant roles in enhancing the attacks.
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