Commandos storm Mumbai Jewish centre

?Assaults launched to flush out holed-up militants

?Guests evacuated from one of two luxury hotels

?Indian Prime Minister says attacks plotted overseas

INDIA: Gunfire erupted on Friday when commandos began an operation to free Israelis held by suspected Islamist gunmen in Mumbai, while guests were also being evacuated from a luxury hotel in India’s financial heart, witnesses said.

Heavily armed Indian commandos, their faces covered by balaclavas, rappeled from helicopters onto the roof of a Jewish centre in what television reports said was an assault by the paramilitary National Security Guard to flush out the militants.

The Jewish centre was one of three pockets in Mumbai where Indian forces were battling die-hard militants more than 24 hours after brazen, coordinated attacks killed at least 121 people.

A Reuters witness said troops fired into the Jewish centre, apparently to provide cover, as commandos made at least three sorties and took up positions on the roof. The building is in a crowded part of the city, making a frontal assault difficult.

Not far away, another Reuters witness said hotel guests including foreigners were being evacuated from the besieged Trident-Oberoi Hotel, one of two luxury hotels where police said militants were still holed up with an unknown number of hostages.

“They are evacuating everyone. Everyone is being taken care of,” an Indian woman said as she left the hotel with her husband.

Mumbai, a city of 18 million, is the nerve-centre of India’s growing economic might and home to the “Bollywood” film industry. Hindu-dominated India, which has a sizeable Muslim minority, has been hit by militant attacks for decades. But this strike seemed aimed at crippling its ability to draw foreign investment. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pinned blame for the attacks on militant groups based in India’s neighbours, usually an allusion to Pakistan, raising prospects of renewed tension between the nuclear-armed rivals.

He warned of “a cost” if these nations did not take action to stop their territory being used to launch such attacks.

An estimated 25 men armed with assault rifles and grenades at least some of whom arrived by sea had fanned out across Mumbai on Wednesday night to attack sites popular with tourists and businessmen, including the city’s top two luxury hotels.

Police said at least seven of the attackers were killed and nine suspects had been taken into custody.

MUMBAI, Friday, Reuters