Zeenews Bureau

Mumbai, Nov 29: The Mumbai terror operation continued for over 59 hours and took the skills of India’s elite commandos to bring to an end. Why did the operation take so long? What exactly was going on during the engagement? Some of these questions were answered when the commandos who had participated in the operation spoke to the media.

The huge size of the Taj Hotel – with rooms spread out in labyrinthine order – and the reluctance of the security forces to run up collateral damage in the form of civilian deaths was the main reason for the operation at the Taj Hotel stretching over more than two days.

The terrorists had a very detailed and thorough idea of the Taj Hotel, knowing all its alleys and back doors. They even knew where the basement was, which, reports suggest, always remains locked.

The extensive knowledge of terrorists of the Taj Hotel, which suggests that they had done a very detailed and extensive reconnaissance, provided them with an idea of the most vulnerable points of the Taj, which they avoided. For example they did not use the kitchen which is exposed to fire from the outside. The also knew from which points where the best suited to launch attacks on the security forces outside.

The forces confirmed that the terrorists had indeed set up a command and control centre within the Taj Hotel to coordinate their movements. The terrorists’ swift and sudden movement, inside the entire building was also one of the reasons why the security forces took so long to corner them and gun them down.

The forces were finally able to pinpoint their location on the second floor as most of the firing was coming from this area. Facing assault the terrorists moved down to the ground floor where they were finally gunned down.

Giving the specifics of the destruction of the terrorists’ control room, one of the commandoes said that they had booby trapped the door so as the inflict maximum casualty on the forces if they tried to force the door open.

But the forces had already anticipated a move like this, and instead of forcing the door open, they blew it apart, hurling the explosives meant for the security forces back on the terrorists.

It was easy thereafter to neutralize the badly injured militants. One militant, who had some life still left in him, in fact tried to escape by jumping though the window, but was shot during the attempt.

The very fact that the terrorists were so well armed, and the thoroughly professional manner in which they had executed the attacks, suggested that they were either regular commandos or had, at the very least received commando training.

The commandos coming out of the Taj building after the operation was over, had a very positive body language, and were cheerful. When asked if the operation was very difficult, a commando said “No operation is too difficult for us,” and attributed the inordinately long time it took to free the Taj to their reluctance to have civilian casualties.

When thanked for the excellent job they have done, they said it was their duty and did there was no need to thank them.

After the success of the entire operation speaking to reporters outside the 100-year-old heritage hotel in Colaba, J K Dutt, Director General of National Security Guards (NSG), told media persons, "Three terrorists have been killed (this morning)… after intense gun-battle inside the hotel."

An AK-47 rifle and grenades were also recovered from them, he said.

"There was lot of shooting. Grenades were lobbed and explosives were used by the terrorists," Dutt said.

Giving details of the operation, Dutt said the terrorists would set afire the hotel rooms whenever they came under pressure from the NSG commandos.

This was to divert the attention of the NSG, he said, adding that the commandos were, however, undeterred by these tactics and continued their assault resulting in the success.

"We are also looking for any surviving guests, still locked up in the rooms and not coming out for the fear of terrorist attack," Dutt said.

Dutt appealed to the surviving guests to open curtains of their windows to help them identify and rescue them while assuring that NSG has the expertise to neutralise the terrorists from the window.

"The body which was seen falling out of the first floor window was of a terrorist," he said.