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WORLD> Asia-Pacific
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Heavy gunfire, explosions at Mumbai Jewish center
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-28 18:59 MUMBAI-- Heavy gunfire and explosions have rocked the besieged Jewish center in Mumbai where commandos have been sweeping the building.
Commandos had rappelled from helicopters to storm the center earlier Friday, two days after a chain of militant attacks across India's financial center left at least 150 people dead and the city in panic.
While explosions and gunfire continued intermittently at the elegant Taj Mahal hotel Friday afternoon, officials said commandos had killed two gunmen inside the nearby Oberoi hotel and ended the attack there. "The hotel is under our control," J.K. Dutt, director general of India's elite National Security Guard commando unit, told reporters, adding that 24 bodies had been found. Dozens of people - including a man clutching a baby - had been evacuated from Oberoi earlier Friday. The airborne assault on the center run by the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch was punctuated by gunshots and explosions as forces cleared it floor by floor, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. By Friday afternoon, the commandos had control of the top two floors. One camouflaged commando came out with a bandage on his forehead, while soldiers fired smoke grenades into the building and a steady stream of gunfire reverberated across narrow alleys. It was not immediately clear if there were hostages inside or their fate. More than 150 people were killed and 288 injured when suspected Islamic militants attacked 10 sites in Mumbai starting Wednesday evening. Security officials said their operations were almost over. "It's just a matter of a few hours that we'll be able to wrap up things," Lt. Gen. N. Thamburaj told reporters Friday morning. |
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