War (i)n Peace...

Dear Blog,

Not a very happy thanksgiving...

This I write even as the operation to drive out the terrorists from the Taj Hotel in Mumbai is underway. The attack on hotels is a recent trend in terrorist attack history. Call me a conspiracy theorist who just spends time in finding coincidences where none exist but I don’t think this one can be rubbished off. Hotels are the major private properties where terrorist attacks take place.

Lemme have a look at the hotels I remember have been the target of the terrorist attacks. (The source of this info is limited to my memory and inconsistencies with actual facts must be forgiven)

August 2003, Indonesia: Hotel Marriott is bombed in Indonesia in a suicide bomb attack. Marriott was a common centre for US Independence Day celebration in the past. Though conspiracy theories point to CIA hand in this attack as many US bookings were cancelled just hours before the attack, Jakarta Police had found links to the Bali blast as far as I remember.

June-July 2005, Egypt: Ghazala Hotel is bombed in a suicide attack. The bombings take place at the height of the tourist season... At 1pm in the night when the bars and clubs are busy...Victims included foreign nationals as well.

Late 2005 or early 2006, Jordan: The Grand Hyatt was the one of two or three hotels that were the target of terrorists. It should come as no surprise that the hotel was frequented by foreign tourists. If I remember correctly, there was a wedding ceremony taking place in one of the hotels at the time of the attack.

January 2008, Afghanistan: The Hotel Serena in Kabul is bombed. A Norwegian delegation is put up at the hotel at the time of the attack. A foreign journalist is amongst those killed. Modus operandi – suicide bomb.

September 2008, Pakistan: Hotel Marriott is once again the target but in Islamabad. Again, the hotel is a regular amongst the American tourists. Photos of destroyed cars are shown on the front pages of various dailies. More than 40 are killed. Once again, mode of bombing, suicide car attack...

That brings me to the unique and outrageous Mumbai attack: Two major hotels taken under siege. Foreign tourists held hostage. More than 45 hours later, the battle is still on. More than 100 people have been confirmed dead. That includes the chief of the anti-terrorist unit, an Addl. Commissioner amongst others.

The whole of national media has everything covered... so much so that everyone forgot the hundred killed due to the cyclone Nisha in Tamil Nadu. And there are citizen journalists sending videos and pictures of the attacks on the internet. And the India TV phone call received from one of the terrorists holed up in the Taj... And with it the hall of shame for the media... senior journalists airing on 'news', clues that terrorists could easily use for their advantage, asking families of hostages about how they are feeling... yeah right.. #*$^@*#, one thing's for sure, they not are as excited about TRP and airtime as you are...!!! For once, the political parties have not politiced the issue and have come out in solidarity condemning the attack and offering help and not indulging in the usual blame game. Keeping Fingers crossed...

Waiting for it to end,

MMM