Mumbai Attack Timeline and Order of Battle
Terrorist Task Organization Team Romeo (CST Railway Station) * Kasab (Arrested) Ismail – Veteran fighter and leader of operation
Team Tango 1 (Leopold Café / Taj Mahal) Team Tango 2 (Taj Mahal Hotel) Abu S. Hafiz Abu U. Javed
Team Oscar (Trident & Oberoi Hotel) Team November (Nariman House) Fahadullahr Babar Abdul Nasir
Movement to Mumbai Sunday, 23 November 2008 – 3.00pm; Terrorists seize M.V. Kuber, a commercial fishing vessel approximately 580 nautical miles from the coast.
Four crewmembers from Kuber are transferred to the terrorist vessel. The ten terrorists load their weapons and equipment on board the Kuber and, with the captain (Tandel) of the Kuber, depart for the Indian Coast.
Wednesday, 26 November 2008 – approximately 4pm; The ten terrorists complete the 580 nautical mile journey and arrive approximately 4 nautical miles from the coast of Mumbai.
Attack on Mumbai
The terrorists contact their handlers in Pakistan to report their arrival. Terrorists are informed that the 4 crewman from the Kuber have been executed. Terrorist Kasab slits the throat of the Captain (Tandel) of the Kuber. Terrorist inflate and board a motorized rubber raft for movement to the city.
26 November 2008 – 8.30pm; Terrorists arrive at Bhadwar Park, Mumbai and disembark 4 teams (Romeo, Tango 1, Tango 2, and November).
Team Oscar departs the beach landing site and continues north to the beach adjacent to the Trident & Oberoi Hotel. Team November departs on foot to Nariman House (Jewish Community building). Teams Tango 1, Tango 2, and Romeo depart in taxis for the respective target locations.
Initial Assault Wednesday, 26 November 2008 – 9.15pm; Team Tango 1 arrives at the Leopold Café (a known tourist spot).
Before departing the taxi, Tango 1 places an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) under the driver’s seat, set to go off in approximately 1 hour. Tango 1 enters the Leopold café, exchange encouraging words and hug, and then begin assaulting the civilian patrons at the café with rifle fire and hand grenades. After approximately 20 minutes, Tango 1 departs Leopold Café for the Taj Mahal Hotel on foot leaving 11 dead and 28 seriously wounded. Tango 1 emplaces a second IED on the street outside the Gokul restaurant – this IED is discovered and rendered harmless by the Mumbai Police Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS).
26 November 2008 – 9.20pm; Team November arrives at the Nariman House (Jewish Center).
Prior to entering Nariman House, November hurls a grenade at a nearby gas station, damaging the façade of the building, but misses the pumps.
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November assaults the Nariman House and takes numerous hostages, including the Rabbi and his wife. November emplaces an IED at the entrance to the Nariman House, but it detonates with no loss of life.
26 November 2008 – 9.24pm; Team Romeo arrives at the CST Railway Station.
Before departing the taxi, Romeo places an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) under the driver’s seat. Romeo wanders through the station, surveying the crowds. At 9.53pm, Romeo commences the assault on civilians in the Rail Station with rifle fire and grenades. The police in the station observed the assault, and then flee as Romeo approaches. 10.24pm – Romeo departs the Rail Station on Foot, leaving 52 dead and more than 100 wounded. As soon as Romeo departs, the police quickly reclaim the station to begin treating and evacuating wounded.
26 November 2008 – 9.30pm; Team Tango 2 arrives at the Taj Mahal Hotel.
Tango 2 enters the hotel through the rear entrance and immediately commence their assault on hotel staff and guests. Tango 1 arrives at the Taj and joins Tango 2 (now Team Tango).
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Tango moves to the upper floors of the Taj to phone their Pakistani handlers. Tango is instructed to begin lighting fires in the Taj. After the fire is started, Tango begins searching rooms for guests to kill.
Wednesday, 26 November 2008 – 9.35pm; Team Oscar arrives at the Trident & Oberoi Hotel. Indian Intelligence begins listening in on cellular phone conversations between terrorists and handlers.
Prior to entering the hotel, Oscar emplaces an IED in a flowerbed outside the main entrance. The IED is discovered prior to detonation and wrapped in a blast blanket preventing injuries. They immediately commence their assault in the lobby killing 9 staff and 3 guests. Oscar moves the hotel restaurants in search of additional targets. At the Tiffin restaurant, Oscar kills another 13 patrons.
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Oscar emplaces an IED in the Tea Lounge which detonates with no loss of life.
26 November 2008 – 9.55pm; The IED left by Romeo in the taxi detonates in Vile Parle, a suburb of northern Mumbai, killing 2 and wounded 3 more.
26 November 2008 – 10.40pm; The IED left by Tango 1 in the taxi detonates in Wadi Bunder north of Mumbai killing 3 and wounding an additional 19 bystanders.
Romeo Gets Sideways Wednesday, 26 November 2008 – 10.30pm; Romeo crosses the road just west of the CST Railway Station on a pedestrian overpass.
Romeo demands water from a man living in a roadside shack, then kills him. Romeo moves to Cama Hospital (a women’s hospital) in order to take additional hostages. Romeo kills 7 and wounds 10 more in Cama hospital.
26 November 2008 – 10.55pm; Romeo departs the hospital.
Romeo conducts hasty ambush on police vehicle (SUV). Mumbai ‘s Chief of Anti- Terrorism Squad is killed in the ambush, along with 5 others. One wounded policeman is trapped in the backseat of the SUV. Romeo hijacks the police vehicle and drives toward the Metro Cinema Square where they conduct a drive-by ambush on the crowd outside the theater, killing two more.
26 November 2008 – 11.40pm; Romeo arrives at Mittal Tower, near Usha Mehta Square.
The police vehicle is badly damaged. Romeo abandons the SUV and stops a passing motorist. Romeo seizes the motorist’s vehicle, a Skoda and head south presumably to link up with Team Oscar at the Trident & Oberoi Hotel. The wounded policeman from the SUV notifies his headquarters of Romeo’s location and activities. Policemen establish a roadblock near Café Ideal.
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Thursday, 27 November 2008 – 12.30pm; Romeo approaches the checkpoint.
Police approach the Skoda vehicle and order Romeo to turn off the headlights of the vehicle. Romeo sprays the windshield with wiper fluid in an attempt to mask their identities. In an attempt to flee, Romeo crashes the Skoda into traffic barriers. As the police approach, Romeo engages the police with pistol and rifle fire. One police officer and one terrorist die during the confrontation. The remaining member of Romeo (Kasab) is arrested and moved to the hospital.
The Siege
Thursday, 27 November 2008 – 12.30am; An urgent call for help is sent from the government to the National Security Guard (NSG), and the Marine Commandos (MARCOS).
The elite Navy MARCOS were able to respond quickly from their base on Abhimanyu, just off the coast of Mumbai. The MARCOS deployed 45 men to assist evacuating guests at the Taj and Oberoi Hotels. The NSG begin assembling 200 men at their base in Delhi approximately 900 miles to the north. Mumbai police surround the Nariman House and wait for backup.
Thursday, 27 November 2008 – 2.00am; MARCOS arrive and hold the ground around the hotels in an attempt to isolate the terrorists from the hostages.
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27 November 2008 – 2.45am; 200 NSG Commandos depart the Delhi airport enroute to Mumbai.
27 November 2008 – 5.30am; NSG arrive in Mumbai.
NSG board waiting vehicles for and deploy 25 men each to the Taj and Oberoi Hotels. At the Trident & Oberoi, NSG move up the fire escape to the 21st (the top) floor. At 6.20am, NSG begins clearing the Oberoi room by room.
27 November 2008 – 9.30am; Operations at the Taj Mahal Hotel.
NSG begins engaging Tango, forcing them further back into the hotel. MARCOS are able to successfully evacuate 300 guests from the Taj under cover of the NSG operation. At 10.00am, additional 200 NSG Commandos depart Delhi to reinforce Mumbai.
Final Assault at the Trident & Oberoi Hotel
27 November 2008 – 2.00pm; Operations at the Trident & Oberoi.
NSG make contact with Oscar on the 18th floor. Oscar retreats to room 1856 and engages NSG with high volume rifle fire and grenades. Several NSG are wounded during the furious and violent confrontation. By sundown, Team Oscar is dead and the Trident & Oberoi Hotel is secure. 35 dead and 24 more wounded are discovered in the hotel.
The Siege Continues at the Taj Mahal Hotel and Nariman House
27 November 2008 – 2.00pm; Team November starts negotiations.
Terrorist leadership is extremely upset after Kasab (Romeo) is captured. Handlers alert November and initiate a call to the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai. November makes demands to release Kasab in exchange for all the hostages at Nariman House. Through the Israeli intermediary, November is told to wait for an official reply from the Indian government.
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27 November 2008 – 2.45pm; Operations at the Taj Mahal Hotel.
Tango uses ladders to move between floors to engage NSG. During the afternoon, NSG slowly began isolating Tango in an attempt to continue evacuating hotel guests. The hotel electronic master key stopped working after grenades were employed in the hotel, making the room searches extremely hazardous. The standoff continues throughout the night.
27 November 2008 – 10.00pm; Nariman House
Handlers are frustrated by the lack of response from the Indian government and order November to kill the Rabbi and his wife.
Final Assault at Nariman House
Friday, 28 November 2008 – 7.45am; NSG conduct helicopter fastrope on the roof of Nariman House.
Intercepts confirm that November has killed the hostages. NSG breach and assault Nariman House. NSG kill both members of Team November after vicious firefight inside the house.
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Final Assault at the Taj Mahal Hotel Thursday, 28 November 2008 – 12.00pm; Operations at the Taj Mahal Hotel.
Tango detonates an IED on the 5th floor near the dome in Heritage Wing. Tango sets fire to the 6th floor of the Heritage Wing. NSG and Tango continue to trade fire in the hotel. One NSG commando and one local Mumbai policeman are killed.
Friday, 29 November 2008 – 7.30am; NSG assault the final terrorist position.
NSG assault and kill the final member of Team Tango. 36 people died and 29 were wounded during the fighting for the Taj Mahal Hotel.
Total Casualties 106 Killed 304 Wounded
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Terror Attack Mumbai, India November 2008
Reconstruction of Attack and Lessons Learned February 2010
Author: Scott Watson www.Jedburgh-USA.com [email protected] Preface
This study of the Mumbai terrorist attack of November 2008 is part of the JEDBURGH Corporation Research Initiative to maintain the most comprehensive counter-terrorism training programs possible. In an ever-evolving environment, terrorist organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) continue to revise their tactics and update their operating philosophy, even while the terrorist strategy remains the same. JEDBURGH Corporation is committed to providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing both Federal and State Law Enforcement and Military professionals. Any errors in this report is the sole responsibility of the author.
Data for this report was compiled from numerous open sources including, but not limited to: 1. Final Form / Report in the Court of Addl. CH. M.M., 37th Court, Esplanade, Mumbai, Asok T. Duraphe, Dispatched on 25 Feb 2009 (Official report published by the Indian Government) 2. Mumbai Terrorist Attacks (Nov. 26-29, 2008) – “Dossier of Evidence” distributed by the Indian Government 3. “Bullets For Broadway” Saikat Datta for Outlook India Magazine, 15 Dec 2008
For the exhaustive list of cited work, contact [email protected].
Limited Electronic Distribution Rights
This electronic representation of JEDBURGH intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this document on non-JEDBURGH website is prohibited. This work is protected under copyright law. Permission is required from JEDBURGH to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research 2 documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please contact [email protected]. Content of Report
• Terrorist Preparations • Terrorist Equipment • Movement to Mumbai • Initial Assault • Romeo Gets Sideways • Fight for the Trident & Oberoi Hotel • Fight for the Taj Mahal Hotel • Fight for Nariman House
Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 3 Terrorist Preparation
• Training began more than a year prior to the attack – Thirteen survived a rigorous selection and indoctrination process – Spent six months training on weapons, explosives, and tactics – Six of thirteen deployed to Kashmir for operation – Three new members selected, including the leader Ishmail Khan (which brings the assault team to ten members) – Training continued with small boat operations, swimming, and navigation – The team was briefed on the Mumbai operation in mid- September • Recce element began target preparation in January 2008 and provided detailed maps to the assault team
Mumbai Attack Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 4 Terrorist Equipment
Each man was equipped with: • AK-56 (Chinese AK-47) • Water bottle • 7.62x25mm pistol (Tokarev • RDX IED with bag clone) mfg in Peshawar • GPS (1 per 2-man team) • 8-10 hand grenades • Tourist backpack • 8 AK magazines • Student ID (fake) • 2 pistol magazines For Assault Team • Dry fruit • Satellite Phone (Ishmail) • Cash • 11-man rubberized dinghy • Nokia handset w/earpiece with Yamaha outboard
Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 5 Movement to Mumbai 1 of 2
• The terrorist assault team depart Karachi on November 22nd at approximately 8.00am in a small boat – By 9.00am, the assault team is transferred to a larger vessel, the Al-Husseini – The assault team receive their individual weapons and equipment • On November 23rd at 3.00pm, the team notices an Indian fishing boat, the M.V. Kuber, anchored nearby – The assault team board the Kuber and transfer the 4 member crew to the Al-Husseini – The team loads their equipment on board the Kuber, and force the captain to pilot the craft to Mumbai
Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 6 Movement to Mumbai 2 of 2
• The assault team navigate using GPS and pre-planned waypoints. The assaulters maintain a watch during the 550 nautical miles (nm) trip, including a ship’s log (later recovered) • On November 26th at 4.00pm, the Kuber anchors 4 nm from the coast of Mumbai • Ishmail Khan notifies LeT leadership of their arrival • LeT handlers inform the assault team that the crew of the Kuber have been killed – Terrorist Kasab then slits the throat of the captain • The assault team inflates the rubber landing raft with a foot-pump • At dusk on November 26th, the assault team boards the rubber craft and depart for the Mumbai coast using GPS coordinates to navigate.
Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 7 Movement to Mumbai Wednesday, 26 November 2008
8.30pm – Teams arrive at Beach Landing Site (BLS) #1 • Romeo departs via taxi for CST Railway Station • Tango 1 departs via taxi for Leopold Café • Tango 2 departs via taxi for Taj Mahal Hotel • November departs on foot for Narima House • Oscar departs in motorized rubber raft for Beach Landing Site #2 vicinity Trident & Oberoi Hotel 1
9.15pm – Team Oscar arrives at BLS #2 Scale adjacent to the Trident & Oberoi Hotel
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500 yards Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 N 8 Initial Assault Wednesday, 26 November 2008
9.24pm – Romeo arrives at 9.30pm – Tango 2 arrives at Taj Mahal Hotel Railway Station 9.35pm – Begin Assault 9.53pm – Begin Assault 9.40 – Tango 1 arrives to reinforce Taj Hotel 10.24pm – Depart on foot 9.45pm – Tango moves upstairs to set fire to Hotel 9.15pm – Tango 1 arrives at Leopold Café 9.25pm – Begin Assault 9.35pm – Depart for Taj
9.20pm – November arrives at Nariman House 9.25pm – Begin Assault, take hostages, detonate IED
1 9.35pm – Oscar arrives at Trident & Oberoi Hotel 9.40pm – Begin Assault 9.45 – Move to Tiffin restaurant 9.55pm – Move upstairs for hostages Scale
2
500 yards Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 N 9 Initial Assault Wednesday, 26 November 2008
• In the first 20 minutes, there are 5 active shooter situations in 5 separate locations. • Numerous explosions reported throughout the city. • There are nearly 50 dead and 100 wounded. • The assault team which attacked the first target, the Leopold Café, has fled the scene. • In the next hour, 2 car bombs will go off in northern Mumbai, almost 20 1 miles from the attack sites. • There are reports that the terrorists are moving toward the police station. • Patrol officers are carrying antiquated bolt action rifles with 5 rounds each, Scaleofficers carry pistols with 10 rounds.
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500 yards Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 N 10 Romeo Gets Sideways Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Team Romeo at Railway Station Team Tango at Taj Mahal Hotel
10.40pm – Romeo assault Cama Hospital 10.55pm – Romeo Ambush police SUV
11.00pm – Romeo drive-by attack on crowd
11.40pm – Romeo abandons SUV and hijacks Skoda
Team Oscar at Trident & Scale Oberoi Hotel
12.30am – Romeo stopped at police
roadblock
• Ishamail Khan is killed N 500 yards • Kabas is captured Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 N 11 The Final Assault on the Trident & Oberoi Hotel Thursday, 27 November 2008 • 6.00am – NSG Commandos arrive at the Trident & Oberoi to relieve the Navy MARCOS • 9.00am – NSG move up the fire escape to the 21st Floor of the Hotel and begin clearing room-to- room • 2.00pm – NSG makes contact with Team Oscar on the 18th floor • 6.00pm – Final assault, Team Oscar is killed • Total casualties inflicted by Oscar: • 35 Dead • 24 Wounded
500 yards Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 12 The Fight for Nariman House Thursday, 27 November 2008 • Mumbai police surround Nariman House and trade small arms fire throughout the day • November fires from the windows and hurl grenades onto the street. • November contacts Indian Government to trade hostages for Kabas (captured terrorist) •7.15pm – NSG arrive at Nariman House • 8.30pm – NSG conduct aerial reconnaissance • 10.00pm – Team November executes hostages
Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 13 The Final Assault on the Nariman House Friday, 28 November 2008 • 12.00am – Power is cut to Nariman House • 8.00am – NSG begin aerial infiltration to roof of Nariman House • 12.00pm – NSG conduct breach and enter 4th Floor of target • 5.00pm – 4th and 5th floors cleared (top two floors) • 5.30pm – NSG breach wall of Nariman House • 7.00pm – NSG conduct final assault on Team November. • Total casualties inflicted by November: • 6 Dead • 9 Wounded
Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 14 The Fight for Taj Mahal Hotel Thursday, 27 November 2008 • 7.00am – NSG Commandos arrive at the Taj Hotel to relieve the Navy MARCOS, the top floor of the Heritage building is engulfed in flames • 8.00am – NSG enter the hotel, begin engage Team Tango • 9.00am-Midnight – NSG engage Tango in running gunfight throughout the hotel complex.
500 yards Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 15 The Final Assault on the Taj Mahal Hotel Friday, 28 November 2008 • 1.00-8.00am – NSG continue to engage Tango. • 8.00am – Media asked to stop live broadcast to deny operational intelligence to terrorists. • 12.00-3.00pm – NSG hold a press conference. • 3.00-11.00pm – NSG continue to engage Tango. •11.00pm – 20 NSG enter the hotel for final assault on terrorist position. Saturday, 29 November 2008 • 7.30am – NSG rush the final terrorist position with grenades and rifle fire. •8.30am – NSG report that the terrorists are killed, continue clearing every room. •Total casualties inflicted by Tango: • 36 Dead • 28 Wounded
500 yards Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 16 Final Tally • 10 Terrorists • 5 targets • 2 Vehicle-born IEDs • 61 hour incident • 106 killed • 304 wounded
Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 17 Lessons Learned
• Lessons Learned from the Attack on Mumbai are discussed in an open forum
Jedburgh Corp Feb 2010 18