Mumbai: A commando who battled terrorists at the Taj hotel here said Saturday that the gunmen were initially firing from all floors of the mammoth hotel.

The commando, who did not give his name, told TimesNow television that the seafront hotel was finally secured after the killing of the last of two terrorists Saturday morning.

“They were on all floors. It all ended in the first floor,” said the commando, speaking in Hindi. “In the morning we killed two (terrorists) and one last night.”

He said he was part of a commando team 40-50 strong. The terrorists they battled hurled grenades initially from all floors of the hotel.

Why did it take three days to flush out the gunmen, he was asked.

The commando replied: “The hotel had so many rooms that we could not make out where they were and where they were firing from. Sometimes they would fire from one place, then from another place.

“They didn't talk to us. They had put explosives on the doors so that they would explode if we tried to enter. They had AK 47s and pistols.”

Another commando added that the entire operation at the Taj hotel lasted 36 hours.

TV footage showed Indian commandos Saturday pushing out the bodies of the last of the dead terrorists out of the first floor of the hotel windows.

Terrorists who Indian officials said came from Pakistan entered Mumbai Wednesday night and struck at 10 places, eventually taking control of two hotels and a Jewish centre.

 

Source : ians