Indian Commandos Battle Assailants

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India and Pakistan Respond to Mumbai Attacks

After a wave of coordinated terrorist attacks turned parts of Mumbai's financial district into a combat zone, officials in New Delhi, India, and Islamabad, Pakistan, grapple with the political and diplomatic fallout of India's deadliest terror attack in 15 years.

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Into the evening, smoke billowed from the roof of the Oberoi, also known as the Trident hotel, where commandos attempted hostage rescues on the 19th floor. The sounds of gunfire and two explosions emanated from the hotel as they worked through the night. Ten people emerged from the hotel and quickly left the scene.

In television reports, guests trapped at the Oberoi were shown peering through curtains and using tape to write the words "save me" on their windows.

Officials said eight Israelis and a young American rabbi and his wife were being held hostage at the Mumbai headquarters of Chabad Lubavitch, an Orthodox Jewish outreach group. As day broke Friday, black-clad commandos were dropping onto the five-story center from a helicopter as sharpshooters opened fire.

The violence began as Indians and tourists went about their lives in a metropolis known for its vibrancy.

Shabir Sayed, 30, was buying a pack of cigarettes outside the packed Leopold Cafe on Wednesday night when he heard gunfire and saw men in black hooded sweatshirts with guns. "I saw the gunmen, and they were young men, in jeans with assault rifles. We were so scared. People were ducking under their tables," he said.

With a camera swinging from his neck, Shane Martens, 25, had just arrived from Ireland and was headed to bed in his guest room above the cafe when he heard "huge bangs going off, which at first I thought was just the noise of the horns and firecrackers of India. But then you could hear the screaming."

He ran downstairs to find the recently festive cafe -- where earlier in the evening he had downed a few beers and a bowl of noodles -- in total mayhem. "People huddled together. Shards of glass and food and drinks were knocked down," Martens said. "Everyone was terrified."

More than 10 people at the cafe were shot, witnesses said.

Blocks away, gunmen began shooting through windows and into the narrow alleyways near the Jewish center.

Sanjay Kokate, a local political leader who said he was part of a self-appointed citizens police force, said he saw random shooting coming from the Jewish center and later realized that several residents had been shot in their living rooms and kitchens.

"We heard bang-bang in the alleyway and first thought it was firecrackers. But then we heard horrible grief, and a woman ran out covered in the blood of her mother," said Kokate, who was guarding the area, a stick swinging from his arm. "We saw two older women were shot dead while cooking dinner in their kitchens," he said. "We helped carry the bodies out. People have been trapped inside their apartments ever since. It's so horrifying."

The center is run by Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka. The couple's 2-year-old son was escorted out of the building several hours after the attack, his clothing soaked in blood, the AP reported. The toddler was accompanied by a cook and another employee of the center.

John Abraham, an assistant desk manager at a sister hotel of the Taj, said he spent the night helping shaken guests get out of the Taj. He also learned that three of his friends had been killed while cooking in the hotel kitchen.

"People come from villages to take photos with this hotel," said Abraham, 25. "This is a dent in Indian pride. But for me personally it means a loss of several really close friends. Just the other day, I was making plans to see a movie with him this weekend. In my head, I feel like he is still alive. Right now I am like a robot, just trying to get through this."