Another Year of Terror in Mumbai, India

A state of panic persists in Mumbai, India's financial capital continue as Israeli and Indian commandos rescue hostages and attempt to take over hotels and buildings around the city where terrorists have taken hundreds of civilians hostage after having targeted multiple locations around the city on Wednesday. High-profile targets included the Jewish center of Chabad Lubavitch, Chhatrapati Shivaji railroad station, and the Oberoi Hotel and Taj Mahal Hotel which are both frequented by foreigners. At 9:20am on Wednesday, gunmen began shooting at the railroad station and their cohorts staged attacks every 15 minutes until after 11:00am at 10 different locales suggesting well-coordinated cooperation and complex training not known to be unique to the Indian underworld. Therefore, Indian intelligence authorities believe the attackers may have been trained outside India, possibly in Pakistan.

This is not the first time that terrorism has hit Mumbai. In 1993, Mumbai, then known as Bombay, experienced 13 bombings which killed 250 persons and injured over 1,400 others. Buildings strategically targeted during those attacks included: Bombay Stock Exchange, Plaza Cinema, Passport Office & Air India Building. Ten years later in 2003, the year was marked by bombings from January through August, with the bombing of Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar which killed 50 persons and injured 150. Finally, the last incidents prior to 2008 were the bombings at 7 train bombings on July 11, 2006 which killed 181 persons and injured 890. Clearly this year's bombings are not the first acts of terror and will definitely not be the last in the history of this city. In comparison to this year's tragedies, 2,700 people were killed by acts of terrorism in 2006 which over 3,000 were killed by such means in 2005. Nonetheless, it is still amazing to me how a reported 10 to 12 militants were able to paralyze an entire city of 18 million people. It is not a stretch to say though that as long as groups like the very media-savvy Al Qaeda and other wayward groups believe they can utilize the media to spread their message, there will continue to be high-profile, strategic terrorist events intended as public relations tools for their perpetrators.