The terrorists made a bloody attack on Mumbai (former bombs), as if following the pages of a tourist booklet, choosing the most impressive points of this multimillion -dollar city - the financial capital of India. In the three best hotels they captured, militants were looking primarily for citizens of the United States and Great Britain. They captured the Habad Jewish Center, killed Rabbi and his wife. For almost 50 hours, terrorists repelled the attacks of special forces. The New Times sorted out the causes and consequences of megatherand
On Friday evening, November 28, the number of those killed in Mumbai was 160, 327 people were injured, and there were no doubts about the outcome of the events. In the sense that there was no talk of any military victory, it was clear that the Indian security forces deal with a detachment of about 30–40 suicides, who did not expect to escape from the crime scene too much.
Why Mumbai?
This figure is at least 30 people - and the rare professionalism of terrorists, as well as their obvious lack of money with money, makes the attack on Mumbai unique. However, the truth is that the events of the last week are only one of the episodes of the long struggle of India with the Islamic terror. But the world around us did not want to notice this struggle. Although Delhi and tried to reach the American and European public, to present her facts, indicating that the enemy is one, common. It was required that the Islamists choose foreign tourists with their main target, one of the three most famous megacities of India, 1 to finally hear Delhi.
In March 1993, a series of 13 explosions in the same Mumbai claimed 257 lives at 1100 wounded. Then there were explosions of 2003-again in Mumbai (71 deceased), in Delhi in October 2005 (66 killed), again in Mumbai in September 2006 (180 dead), explosions in Heidrabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Assama. You can recall the Indian September 11 in 2001, in December, when a detachment of terrorists with weapons lined up in a column and, printing a step, entered the building of the Indian federal parliament in Delhi, where he arranged a battle.
So it seems unexpected and unique to the current megatheract only because it is somehow not customary to follow the events in India. The same organization (Dekan Mujahideen) that now took responsibility for attacks on Mumbai, in September warned that she would take revenge for successful raids that had conducted anti -terrorist units in this city. So it takes revenge.
Goals and perpetrators
What is clear and what is unclear today? The immediate goal and meaning of events are understandable - the demonstration of power by terrorists, the demoralization of power and the Society of India, the provocation of the war between Muslims and the Hindu majority.
A terrorist attack was planned almost according to the scheme of the city partisan war, with the attack of several targets at the same time.
The choice of goals is clear: these are the most famous points of the world famous city, marked in any guide for tourists. The station, the former Victoria-Termminal is a masterpiece of colonial architecture, which simultaneously resembles a huge Catholic cathedral, the Dage Palace in Venice and anything else. Hotels are the best of the best, Taj - one of the most respected hotels in the world. In general, a city with 15 million populations of all races and religions, including Jainism and Zoroastrism, this most important financial center of India, in a sense, is more important for the country than the capital of Delhi. So here everything is clear.
It is not clear so far, who is the culprit and whether the big war will happen on this occasion.
In India, they will tell you that their “al-Qaeda” is signed as “Lashkar Taiba” or “Jaisish-Muhammad”, that is, the “union of pious” or “soldiers of Muhammad”. They are based in Pakistan, and it is believed that once they had connections with the special services of this country. But in principle, this is the same threat to the Pakistani authorities as for Indian ones. The Dekan Mujahideen is a new name, but it does not change anything.
In the current action, however, there is one exotic element. There are reports that some of the militants landed on boats from the sea, from a ship that came from the Pakistani city of Karachi (most of the hotels stands on the embankment), and that some of them had curly hair. The assumption of the connection of current events with Somalia, where Indian warships are involved in operations against pirates, is confirmed by Indian special services. Moreover, Mumbai is also the base of the Indian fleet. One way or another, it is clear to professionals that Islamic terrorists are a global force and it rests on drug income, but also from piracy.
New coalition?
How to deal with this threat? Comparisons from September 11, 2001 and the way America reacted to the same challenge are inevitable. Quite effective internal measures were taken, which required huge expenses. The country was attacked and captured, from where the threat came - Afghanistan. But further the resources of the most powerful country of the country was not enough to keep Afghanistan itself and adjacent areas of Pakistan under absolute control.
It is clear that no one will repeat US mistakes. But what to do India? Start military operations against Pakistan who has nuclear weapons? To occupy Afghanistan and Somalia. Do not forget that India (as, by the way, Russia) is partially Muslim country: more Muslims live here than in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, India, along with China, is one of the fastest growing economies of the world, invitation to Washington to the “twenty” meeting in mid -November - evidence of the role that India occupies more and more confident in the world. The world anti -terrorist coalition, this capital, which is still wasted, may well be recreated on a new basis. And by the way, the visit to India of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, appointed on the first days of December, will now also pass - if it is not canceled - according to a slightly different program.
But today, first of all, all the question occupies everyone: does a big war in Pakistan, Afghanistan or Somalia are not waiting for us ahead? This is a key issue of the future of the whole world.
_______________
1 This is not at all to be divided or agra, but bombs, Calcutta, Maras, today, respectively, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai.
