Mumbai Attack

[actuarymath 1]

There happened a terror attack in Mumbai as the following article.
Did that affect the Quips server? (I think the server is in India)

http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

WRAPUP 17-Indian commandos battle to retake Mumbai hotels11.27.08, 04:34 PM EST

By Charlotte Cooper

MUMBAI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Indian commandos fought to regain control of buildings in India's commercial capital, Mumbai, on Thursday after coordinated attacks by armed militants blamed by the prime minister on a 'terrorist' group outside the country.


Yahoo! BuzzPolice said 119 people had been killed and 315 wounded when a small army of gunmen -- at least some of whom arrived by sea -- fanned out across Mumbai to attack sites popular with tourists and businessmen, including two luxury hotels.

The Israeli embassy in New Delhi said at least 10 Israeli nationals were still trapped in buildings or held hostage more than 24 hours after the assault had begun.

Commandos were fighting room-to-room battles in the two hotels to rescue people trapped by the gunmen, police said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blamed militant groups based in India's neighbours, usually meaning Pakistan, raising fears of renewed tension between the nuclear-armed rivals.

'It is evident that the group which carried out these attacks, based outside the country, had come with single-minded determination to create havoc in the commercial capital of the country,' he said in a televised address. 'We will take the strongest possible measures to ensure that there is no repetition of such terrorist acts.'

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Around two dozen militants in their early 20s, armed with automatic rifles and grenades and carrying backpacks full of ammunition, had spread out across the city to attack sites which also included a Jewish centre. At least some of them had come ashore in what police said was a rubber dinghy.

They commandeered a vehicle and sprayed passers-by with bullets, fired indiscriminately in a train station, hospitals and a popular tourist cafe. They also attacked two of the city's poshest hotels packed with tourists and business executives.

'The situation is still not under control and we are trying to flush out any more terrorists hiding inside the two hotels,' said Vilasrao Deshmukh, chief minister of Maharashtra state which is home to Mumbai.


STRAIN ON PAKISTAN TIES?

The death toll was only an estimate in an attack which brought the biggest chaos to the city since serial bombings in 1993 killed 260 people and injured hundreds.

India blamed crime syndicates in the 'Bollywood' underworld for that attack and saw it as revenge for the death of Muslims in Hindu-Muslim violence. It said the perpetrators had later found refuge in Pakistan.

Pakistan condemned the latest attacks on Mumbai and promised full cooperation.

The use of heavily armed 'fedayeen' -- attackers who are willing to fight to the death but not necessarily suicide bombers -- bore the hallmarks of Pakistan-based Kashmiri militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Both groups made their name fighting Indian rule in disputed Kashmir, and were closely linked in the past to the Pakistani military's Inter Services Intelligence agency, the ISI.

They were also blamed for an attack on India's parliament in 2001 which brought the two countries close to a fourth war.


WALKING PAST DEAD BODIES

J K. Dutt, head of the National Security Guards, told the NDTV news channel that operations were continuing at the hotels.

At the Trident-Oberoi 'we have been able to engage two terrorists,' he said. 'At the Taj, one terrorist has been engaged. He has been injured, and we should be able to mop up the operation fairly quickly.'

Flames billowed from an upper floor of the Trident-Oberoi where 20 to 30 people were thought to have been taken hostage and more than 100 others were trapped in their rooms.

Earlier, explosions rattled the nearby Taj Hotel as the troops flushed out the last of the militants there. Fire and smoke plumed from an open window.

Dipak Dutta told NDTV news after being rescued that he had been told by troops escorting him through the corridors not to look down at any of the bodies.

'A lot of chef trainees were massacred in the kitchen.'

At least six foreigners, including one Australian, a Briton, an Italian and a Japanese national were killed.

A militant holed up at a Jewish centre phoned an Indian television channel to offer talks with the government for the hostages' release. He complained of abuses in Kashmir, over which India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars.


BAREFOOT THROUGH BLOOD

Australian actress Brooke (nasdaq: BXXX - news - people ) Satchwell, who starred in the Neighbours television soap opera, said she narrowly escaped the gunmen by hiding in a hotel bathroom cupboard.

'There was someone dead outside the bathroom,' she told Australian television. 'The next thing I knew I was running down the stairs and there were a couple of dead bodies across the stairs. It was chaos.'

'We threw ourselves down under the reception counter,' Esperanza Aguirre, head of Madrid's regional government, said.

'I took off my shoes and we left being pushed along by the hotel staff,' she said. 'I didn't see any terrorists or injured people. I just saw the blood I had to walk through barefoot.'

Andreas Liveras, a Cypriot with British nationality who spoke to the BBC hours before the Cypriot foreign ministry said he had died said: 'All we know is the bombs are next door and the hotel is shaking every time a bomb goes off.'

Singh said New Delhi would 'take up strongly' the use of neighbours' territory to launch attacks on India.

'The well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of terror by choosing high-profile targets.'

Lashkar-e-Taiba denied any role in the attacks, and said it had no links with any Indian group. Instead, the little-known Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility.

'Release all the mujahideens, and Muslims living in India should not be troubled,' said a militant inside the Oberoi, speaking to Indian television by telephone.

Authorities closed stock, bond and foreign exchange markets, and the central bank said it would continue auctions to keep cash flowing through interbank lending markets, which seized up after the global financial crisis.

Police said they had shot seven gunmen and arrested nine suspects. They said 12 policemen were killed, including Hemant Karkare, the chief of the police anti-terrorist squad in Mumbai.

Notice from jlhaslip:

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[actuarymath 1]

A disaster happened in Mumbai as the below article.
I hope this did NOT affect on Xisto servers in India.

http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/mumbai-mirror/391666/

Mumbai mirrorFont Size The Indian Express
Posted: Nov 28, 2008 at 0225 hrs IST


Whenever disaster strikes Mumbai, as it seems to again and again, we mouth platitudes about the city’s resilience, its fight. We expect it to dust itself off and start again. We have big expectations of this city; we feel its joys and sorrows keenly. After all, we like to think of ourselves as modern, and this was once the metropolis that exemplified Indian modernity. So, seeing Mumbai devastated and brought down feels personal no matter where you’re from. Personal because it’s a part of us: we go to big cities seeking our private grails. Mumbai, like all great cities, invites identification; it is bigger than the sum of its parts.
Of course much of this is wish-fulfilment. Much like the splendid old façade of the Taj Mahal Hotel, that hybrid, generous conception of Bombay has taken a body blow. From repeated terrorist attacks or from the provincial pettiness of its politics, there have been attempts to serially diminish Mumbai. Even as the city reels from this shock, we know this is not the first time that the great thrumming engine of the metropolis has been under attack — from communal anger, from natural disaster, from the malevolent energies of its own citizens scrabbling over its spoils.

Soon, normality will reassert itself in Mumbai. Trade and art and entertainment and commerce and everyday life will resume. People will move on, because what else is there to do? But events like this can simultaneously bring out the best and worst in us — in days to come, will the city we’ve all thought of as ours react out of insecurity or out of strength? It could retreat into a fearful shell, to fortify its frontiers and react with wariness; but what we want is for it to stand up and square its shoulders, and refuse to relinquish its freedoms. Once again, Mumbai will have to bear the weight of our outsized expectations.

Notice from jlhaslip:

Use of quote tags required here. Added.

[Spyda 0]

A disaster happened in Mumbai as the below article.

I hope this did NOT affect on Xisto servers in India.

 

http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/mumbai-mirror/391666/

 

Mumbai mirror

Font Size The Indian Express

Posted: Nov 28, 2008 at 0225 hrs IST

 

 

Whenever disaster strikes Mumbai, as it seems to again and again, we mouth platitudes about the citys resilience, its fight. We expect it to dust itself off and start again. We have big expectations of this city; we feel its joys and sorrows keenly. After all, we like to think of ourselves as modern, and this was once the metropolis that exemplified Indian modernity. So, seeing Mumbai devastated and brought down feels personal no matter where youre from. Personal because its a part of us: we go to big cities seeking our private grails. Mumbai, like all great cities, invites identification; it is bigger than the sum of its parts.

Of course much of this is wish-fulfilment. Much like the splendid old façade of the Taj Mahal Hotel, that hybrid, generous conception of Bombay has taken a body blow. From repeated terrorist attacks or from the provincial pettiness of its politics, there have been attempts to serially diminish Mumbai. Even as the city reels from this shock, we know this is not the first time that the great thrumming engine of the metropolis has been under attack from communal anger, from natural disaster, from the malevolent energies of its own citizens scrabbling over its spoils.

 

Soon, normality will reassert itself in Mumbai. Trade and art and entertainment and commerce and everyday life will resume. People will move on, because what else is there to do? But events like this can simultaneously bring out the best and worst in us in days to come, will the city weve all thought of as ours react out of insecurity or out of strength? It could retreat into a fearful shell, to fortify its frontiers and react with wariness; but what we want is for it to stand up and square its shoulders, and refuse to relinquish its freedoms. Once again, Mumbai will have to bear the weight of our outsized expectations.

The servers of Xisto are located in California as well I think, and seeing as all the servers are fine as is, i do not think they have been affected. I'm just hoping Opaque and his family are alright.

[jlhaslip 4]

I hope that all of our Mumbai and District friends are fine and healthy.Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time. All our wishes are for their safety, and the safety of their friends and families.

[actuarymath 1]

The servers of Xisto are located in California as well I think, and seeing as all the servers are fine as is, i do not think they have been affected. I'm just hoping Opaque and his family are alright.

Thank you for your information.

I have confirmed both Xisto.com and qupis.com servers are in California, USA in
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

I have misunderstood that the servers are in India because the Xisto company is in India.

[Echo_of_thunder 1]

The servers of Xisto are located in California as well I think, and seeing as all the servers are fine as is, i do not think they have been affected. I'm just hoping Opaque and his family are alright.

I hope that they are okay as well. I have a dear friend that is from there, All day he and his wife have been trying to contact his family in Mumbi aka Bombay. I know my thoughts are with them all now.

[xpress 0]

This is one of the biggest attack on our country. It is showing our intelligence failure. The news has confirmed that the terrorists are Pakistanis and all of them are youngsters. They came from Karachi to Mumbai on boats. The NSG operations are still going on in Mumbai. Still 40 victims are in Terrorist's coustody. 7 terrorists were killed this morning by black commandos. Everybody is hoping that the Operation would end this afternoon and everything will be under control. Hope everything will be under control. My condolences to all victims...

[actuarymath 1]

This is one of the biggest attack on our country. It is showing our intelligence failure. The news has confirmed that the terrorists are Pakistanis and all of them are youngsters. They came from Karachi to Mumbai on boats. The NSG operations are still going on in Mumbai. Still 40 victims are in Terrorist's coustody. 7 terrorists were killed this morning by black commandos. Everybody is hoping that the Operation would end this afternoon and everything will be under control. Hope everything will be under control. My condolences to all victims...

xpress

That's too bad!
I pray the recovery as soon as possible.

[mahesh2k 0]

Situation looks under control for now. So far, media channels are very well controlled by government for not to spread rumors and panic. My condolences to all victims.

 

For Xisto servers in India, Nope there is no chance of any damage in that area.

[hertonsils 0]

I don't mean to be rude but this is absolutely horrible what has happened and all you guys care about are the Xisto servers?I mean don't get me wrong I love Xisto but it's still here so obviously it's okay, I just feel we should be more paying our respects to the victims.

[harrison858 0]

I hope the India government can have all this under control. They should improve on their security. Dont they have coastguards?? What are they doing, eating doughnuts? are they asleep??I hope OpaQue and all other Xisto members in India are well taken care of, let them be safe, God.As for the victims, dead and alive, I pray for your safety.

[serverph 0]

it's such a tragedy... just be safe, our friends in india...

[mahesh2k 0]

I hope the India government can have all this under control.

Yes, everything is under control now. Cops have cleared area from terrorists with help of army(blacks swats you can say).

They should improve on their security.

How? Islamic community hates when government investigates their identity in country. and Pakistan is denying that they sent weapons to local Islamic people,(in fact one satellite phone+mobile phone(with US sim card) and calls from Karachi-Pakistan are detected, by intelligence).

Dont they have coastguards?? What are they doing, eating doughnuts? are they asleep??

No cops and army isn't sleeping. Pressure from islamic community is at peak so taking any action against terrorist will be questioned by Pakistan,so until and unless they collect proof they don't fire first and try to protect civilian people.

[Bluebear 0]

I don't mean to be rude but this is absolutely horrible what has happened and all you guys care about are the Xisto servers?

I agree. If the mall here was bombed and I said: "Goosh, I hope they open really soon and the dress I wanted was not ruined!", then most people would think what the heck is wrong with that girl. You guys, that is just weird. And cruel. I feel so sorry for all those affected by this horrible happening, and that everyone will recieve the help they need! Glad to know the cops have everything under control, but just take care our dear friends in India.?

[mbafactory 0]

Mumbai drama is over and so is the life of around 190 odd people. What is now ripe is the blame game. Blame game between countries, between the ruling and opposition parties, between various security and intelligence agencies, betwween various media channels, between so called "Sons of soil" and other extremist leaders, but all this for what?I am not able to figure out what purpose will this serve for the families of those who died inthe episode? Dead are dead! Is it a consolation or an irony, which this nation of second largest part of global mass is trying to understand? who is responsible for what we went through, or rather what we are going through for last couple of months? Jainpur, Delhi, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Gorakhpur, Mumbai and I don't know next what...but it brings me a feeling of helplessness, inaction and indecisiveness. Why are not the saviors I selected able to protect me, able to help me out here? Why are they so quiet when they know who is behind all this, why are they not able to make any strong decision about this episode?Are they waiting for the people to forget this incident as well? They take our peace as merely the silence of lambs? I wonder why we always follow the path of peace, that too the peace of weakness, peace of inaction. Just because those who died were not related to our great politicians, party chiefs, ministers, we do nothing to checck all this? American agencies warned us in advance, but we failed to take any action and our agencieds do not feel ashamed while verifying this information. After every such incident we come to know that some or the other intelligence informed abou the possible attacks to our agencies and governments but they igrnored it. Everyone's responsiblility turned out to be no one's responsibility and onus to die comes on common man struggling to make out their lives. Till when will the commond man pay for the mistakes their own selected government is doing?I wonder, we are so insecure in this country that we do not know, what might happen at our homes, offices, markets, but one thing is sure, our great politicians are protected, with different level security which a common man might not have heard. We as common man just live in our own worlds, we do not react unless and until the onus is not on us, unless we are not affected in anyways. We are all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, OBCs, Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, but we are not Indians, we are divided and that is what the reason of this weakness is. I hope, now after losing so much of our innocent lives, and martyrdom of our real heroes, we will take the strings in our hands, we will bring the change which is required. This is the need of the hour-let us give a real homage to those who lost their lives and be the real change agents, act in the interest of our people and country.