First, Mumbai is what Indian folks call the city we generally know better as Bombay. This is the financial capitol of India and it is positively JAMMED with people. Specifically, the train system is JAMMED with people. So, on July 11, 2006 SOMEbody blew up a bunch of bombs hidden in the overhead compartments in the first class cars of a train during rush hour as everyone was on their way home from work.
According to [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/12/145257|a July 12, 2006 transcript] posted at DemocracyNow.Org (of their show from that day) at least 7 bombs exploded. The descriptions of the aftermath is downright grotesque. Over 180 people were killed with over 300 maimed. Times of India reporter Nitasha Natu spoke with witnesses:
And the way they described the scene was the sound was deafening. I mean, it was something that they had never heard before. It was something like hundreds of gas cylinders exploding at the same time, something of that sort. And all they could see were body pieces, because Mumbai trains are packed to the capacity. You have a lot of commuters hanging on the doors, something which you wouldn’t really see in some other city probably. So after the blast, there were a lot of these people who fell right onto the tracks, and some of them got killed right there.
So these shoeshine boys and porters were the first ones to be on the spot, actually pulled out those people. They couldn't really see a lot of bodies. There were just hands and severed heads and limbs.
The odd thing is that no one has claimed responsibility for the bombings. This is odd because most terrorists want something. Just bombing anonymously doesn't send a message of any kind aside from "you're not safe."
Usually terrorists want something more specific than just terror, alone.
By last Sunday, authorities had worked out where the bombs had been planted. The following clip comes from [http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=Terrorstrikes&slug=Bomb+origin+was+Mumbai+VT%3A+Reports&id=19835&callid=0&category=National|a July 16, 2006 article] at NDTV.com:
Investigators of Tuesday�s train attacks in Mumbai believe all the bombs were planted at the main Victoria Terminus.
Reports point out that the bombers escaped through an underpass.
At least three of the seven bombs fitted with timers were set to explode after 20 minutes.
That article also said more than 170 were killed in the blasts.
Regardless of how many people died, this means more war-type-activities. India, one assumes would want retribution for this. However, so far, they're not bombing Pakistan. They've arrested a stack of folks, but hav done nothing rash so far.
Of course, the post 7/11 (!!) era for India is just beginning. We'll see how time tempers them, if it does at all.
One thing does occur to me. What with the US doing all sorts of absurd things to "fight terror" you'd think terrorists would be discouraged. It seems like all of our fear and pre-emptive strikes are just encouraging terrorists to work harder.
Of course, there have been no more terrorist attacks on American soil. This fact I attribute to the anti-terrorist cologne I wear every day. It emits a scent undetectable by the noses of peaceful, loving, people, but it repells terrorists. See, terrorists noses are constructed differently than ours and my ATC (Anti-Terror Cologne) targets that nose difference and keeps America safe.
You're welcome.
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