Special forces launch assault on Mumbai hostage takers

Special forces stormed a Jewish centre in Mumbai Friday as part of efforts to end a hostage crisis and flush out Islamic militants behind an audacious assault on the city that left 125 people dead.

At least 17 commandos were seen abseiling into the complex from a helicopter and gunfire and explosions were heard, while "mopping up" operations were also under way at two of the city's top luxury hotels.

It remained unclear how many people, among them a group of Israeli citizens, were still being held hostage or trapped in their rooms at the three sites.

The attacks, apparently tailored to gain maximum attention, began Wednesday when gunmen stormed around a dozen targets in India's financial hub, including a station, a hospital and a restaurant popular with tourists.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the militants were from a group based overseas, while the military official leading the operation, Major General R.K. Hooda, was swift to point the finger at arch-rival Pakistan.

Local reports said that a Pakistani militant who was among three gunmen detained had told investigators that a group of 12 attackers were dropped at sea and had reached Mumbai in a small speedboat.

Home ministry sources said two ships had been detained off the Indian coast, but the government in Islamabad fiercely denied any involvement.

More than 36 hours after the attacks began, commandos stormed the Mumbai office-residential complex containing a Jewish centre shortly after dawn, where hostages, including Israelis, were believed to be held.

It was not clear if the commandos were Indian or Israeli.

Elsewhere in the city, officials said they had almost cleared the luxury Taj Mahal hotel where gunmen had been holed up for more than 24 hours after their rampage. One injured gunman was still believed to be in the building.

At the Oberoi/Trident hotel, 39 people had been rescued and "mopping up" operations were still under way, police said.

An aide to Mumbai police commissioner A N Roy at the five-star hotel said commandos were still "engaged in mopping up operations and looking for other people who might be still in there."

"I think we should be able to mop up the operation very quickly," National Security Guards director general J.K. Dutt said.

Scores of had been trapped in their rooms -- too terrified to move.

"We've been waiting for hours and hours for the army to come and say we can go downstairs," said a Western woman, contacted by AFP on her mobile phone late on Thursday, from inside the Oberoi/Trident.

"We have to keep silent. They could be looking for hostages," she said.

Indian media reports said between six and nine foreign nationals were among the dead in Mumbai -- including a Japanese businessman, an Australian, a Briton, a German and an Italian.

The Israeli embassy said around 10-20 Israeli nationals were among those held hostage or trapped.

Guests who escaped the hotels recounted how the gunmen had methodically tried to round up US and British citizens.

"They said they wanted anyone with British and American passports," said one British guest at the Taj, Rakesh Patel.

At least five had been shot dead and one captured, police said. Fourteen security personnel were also killed, including the head of Mumbai's anti-terror squad.

In an address to the nation, the Indian prime minister said the attacks were clearly "well-planned and well-orchestrated" and warned "neighbours" who provided a haven to anti-India militants that there would "be a cost" to pay.

The aim had clearly been to spread panic by choosing high profile targets and "indiscriminately killing foreigners," Singh said.

An unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen claimed responsibility, with one gunman telling an Indian TV channel by phone that the outfit was of Indian origin and motivated by the treatment of Indian Muslims.

But the PTI news agency said Indian officials were pointing the finger at the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba -- notorious for a deadly assault on the Indian parliament in 2001 that almost pushed India and Pakistan to war.

Mumbai police chief Hassan Gafoor said more than 125 people had died, but warned that the human cost of the attacks could increase. "The situation is very fluid and the toll could rise further," he told AFP.

Up to 327 people were reported wounded.

The main Bombay Stock Exchange was closed until further notice, as were shops, schools and businesses.

England's cricketers abandoned their ongoing one-day series against India and opted to fly home.

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