The Mumbai Attack and the Wider Fallout.
November 28th 2008 23:11
The Mumbai Attack and the Wider Fallout.
29-11-2008
A few days ago no one had heard of Deccan Mujahedin but now the internet is flooded with pages referring to them. The Deccan Mujahedin are the mob who claimed responsibility for the co-ordinated terrorist attacks that are still continuing in Mumbai (Bombay) India. There is no doubt that these actions were designed to shock the world with their scale and ruthlessness. What is also worth noting is that Westerners appear to be high priority targets for the gunmen. Passports were being examined for nationality and hotel registries checked. However the India police described the initial actions of the terrorists as indiscriminate killing. "Whoever came in front of them, they fired," an Indian Commando was quoted as saying.
After two days of siege we still only have a vague idea of who the Deccan Mujahedin are and what their objective is. On Thursday two of the terrorists spoke from the Oberoi Hotel on local Indian television referring to the anti Muslim riots in Northern India (1993 -4) but did not give a specific list of demands. "When so many of us were killed, who did anything for us?" a terrorist calling himself Shadullah asked.
The fact that Deccan Mujahedin are a previously unknown group create a whole new level of speculation where any conspiracy theory can be aired for a few days. There have been conflicting reports as to the nationality of the terrorists; some claiming that they spoke in Kashmiri accents; an Indian commander claiming they had Pakistani accents.
Northern India has been a hot bed of violence since Indian Independence as the ownership of Kashmir region has been the cause of two wars with Pakistan. The level of distrust and hostility has thawed in recent years but this latest action may be a big set back to the peace process. A previous terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament caused a complete breakdown of dialogue between the two nuclear armed nations after India directly blamed Pakistan for the attack.
A breakdown in relations between India and Pakistan does not suit the West in any way. Pakistan is being infiltrated with Taliban radicals in many places. Blowback from the War on Terror that started in Afghanistan; spread to Pakistan and now seems to be moving into India. The dispute may seem like a local issue but by targeting Westerners the issue suddenly becomes a front page international story. Had the terrorist not targeted locations frequented by Westerners and Westerners themselves it may have been largely ignored. Terrorist who want publicity for a cause are learning how the myopic Western Media work. 150 are people killed but it only seems to matter after 2 Australian are amongst the dead.
For India there is pressure coming from every internal direction. Southern India’s Tamil Nadu is facing protests over the war in Sri Lanka; Eastern India’s province of Ossetia is in the grip of anti-Christian riots leaving 50,000 homeless; Northern India has continuing troubles in the Kashmir and now this attack which may trigger reprisals from radical Hindu’s (as occurred in 1993).
It is going to be a tough time for India as it tries to balance off public outrage against the need for internal order. Pakistan denies all involvement in this action but that may not be enough to quell the anger and mob violence that may follow. Let us hope that my prediction is wrong.
29-11-2008
Too young to know why and still it does not matter to a terrorist.
A few days ago no one had heard of Deccan Mujahedin but now the internet is flooded with pages referring to them. The Deccan Mujahedin are the mob who claimed responsibility for the co-ordinated terrorist attacks that are still continuing in Mumbai (Bombay) India. There is no doubt that these actions were designed to shock the world with their scale and ruthlessness. What is also worth noting is that Westerners appear to be high priority targets for the gunmen. Passports were being examined for nationality and hotel registries checked. However the India police described the initial actions of the terrorists as indiscriminate killing. "Whoever came in front of them, they fired," an Indian Commando was quoted as saying.
After two days of siege we still only have a vague idea of who the Deccan Mujahedin are and what their objective is. On Thursday two of the terrorists spoke from the Oberoi Hotel on local Indian television referring to the anti Muslim riots in Northern India (1993 -4) but did not give a specific list of demands. "When so many of us were killed, who did anything for us?" a terrorist calling himself Shadullah asked.
The fact that Deccan Mujahedin are a previously unknown group create a whole new level of speculation where any conspiracy theory can be aired for a few days. There have been conflicting reports as to the nationality of the terrorists; some claiming that they spoke in Kashmiri accents; an Indian commander claiming they had Pakistani accents.
An Indian Commando takes aim.
Northern India has been a hot bed of violence since Indian Independence as the ownership of Kashmir region has been the cause of two wars with Pakistan. The level of distrust and hostility has thawed in recent years but this latest action may be a big set back to the peace process. A previous terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament caused a complete breakdown of dialogue between the two nuclear armed nations after India directly blamed Pakistan for the attack.
When leaving India seems like a good idea.
A breakdown in relations between India and Pakistan does not suit the West in any way. Pakistan is being infiltrated with Taliban radicals in many places. Blowback from the War on Terror that started in Afghanistan; spread to Pakistan and now seems to be moving into India. The dispute may seem like a local issue but by targeting Westerners the issue suddenly becomes a front page international story. Had the terrorist not targeted locations frequented by Westerners and Westerners themselves it may have been largely ignored. Terrorist who want publicity for a cause are learning how the myopic Western Media work. 150 are people killed but it only seems to matter after 2 Australian are amongst the dead.
The vast majority of people killed have been Indian.
For India there is pressure coming from every internal direction. Southern India’s Tamil Nadu is facing protests over the war in Sri Lanka; Eastern India’s province of Ossetia is in the grip of anti-Christian riots leaving 50,000 homeless; Northern India has continuing troubles in the Kashmir and now this attack which may trigger reprisals from radical Hindu’s (as occurred in 1993).
Indian Commandos.
It is going to be a tough time for India as it tries to balance off public outrage against the need for internal order. Pakistan denies all involvement in this action but that may not be enough to quell the anger and mob violence that may follow. Let us hope that my prediction is wrong.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
Thanks for your comments.
Without knowing who this mob is, who funded them and who trained them it is difficult to make any judgements.
Tough talk and some arrests. Without co-operation from Pakistan this investigation may fall apart. The worst case scenario is mass rioting in India. Something I am sure that India will want to avoid.
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
Rioting can be encouraged or discouraged by public announcements.
If the countries leader start beating their chest and making impassioned pleas then expect trouble.
If they continually appeal for calm then it can often stop the build up of anger and lies.