 More than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks by Muslim terrorists from Pakistan.

 The attackers travelled by sea from Pakistan across the Arabian Sea, hijacked the Indian fishing trawler 'Kuber’ and then forced the captain to sail to Mumbai. The first events were detailed around 20:00 Indian Standard Time (IST) on 26 November, when 10 men in inflatable speedboats came ashore. They reportedly told local Marathi-speaking fishermen who asked them who they were to "mind their own business" before they split up and headed two different ways.

 The attackers had planned the attack several months ahead of time and knew some areas well enough for the attackers to vanish, and reappear after security forces had left. ]  The attackers used at least three SIM cards purchased on the Indian side of the border with Bangladesh,  Blood tests on the attackers indicate that they had taken cocaine and LSD(Lysergic acid diethylamide) during the attacks, to sustain their energy and stay awake for 50 hours. There were also indications that they had been taking steroids.  The gunman who survived said that the attackers had used Google Earth to familiarise themselves with the locations of buildings used in the attacks.

Causes of the Mumbai Attacks

 Unlike certain other bombings, the Mumbai bombings have no clear purpose. Some felt the Mumbai attacks were targeted at the Westerners. Some believed that it was due to the long ongoing conflict between Pakistan and India over Kashmir which triggered this bloody carnage.

However:  The two hotels attacked — the Taj and the Oberoi — are old, iconic Indian hotels owned by Indians.  Times have changed and the five-star hotels today are filled with Indians.

 Big American chains all had hotels there such as the Marriott, Four Seasons etc.  These hotels were not the targets for attack.

 Ajmal Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, disclosed that the attackers were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant organization,  The Indian Government claimed that the attackers came from Pakistan, and their controllers were in Pakistan.  LET, or Army of the Pure, was formed by the Pakistan intelligence service and militants in the aftermath of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Its aim was to expel India from Kashmir.

 Evidence: Seth Jones, an analyst at RAND, thinks that the failure to settle the Kashmir dispute is one of the root causes “The biggest issue hanging over the Mumbai attacks is the dispute between the Indians and Pakistanis over Jammu and Kashmir. As long as there's conflict, there will be a major interest from the Pakistani side and the Indian side to support proxies – in the form of terrorist groups. And this will lead to more attacks …to pressure either government into submission.”

 Tension high between the two countries.  For much of the last two decades, separatist militancy and cross-border firing between the Indian and Pakistani armies has left a death toll running into tens of thousands and a population traumatised by fighting and fear.

Our group believes the cause of the Mumbai attacks is territorial conflict.

Impacts of the Mumbai Attacks

 Dead: at least 173  Wounded: at least 308  Attacks: 8  All in South Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus – Railway station Oberoi Trident – Hotel Taj Mahal Palace & Tower – Hotel Leopold Café - restaurant Cama Hospital - hospital Nariman House – Jewish outreach center Metro Cinema - Cinema St. Xavier’s College – Roman Catholic College

 The bodies of many dead hostages showed signs of torture or disfigurement  A number of those killed were notable figures Compensation  $10,000 as compensation to the kin of each of those killed in the terror attacks  About $1,000 to the seriously injured

 Strained relationships between India & Pakistan  Militants were Muslims from Pakistan, and India accused Pakistan of sending these militants Incident : The Pakistan Government moved troops towards the India-Pakistan border voicing concerns about the Indian Government's possible plans to launch attacks on Pakistani soil after 26/11 if Pakistan Government did not cooperate, but after days of talks, the Pakistan Government decided to start moving troops away from the border

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