Author: Pranab Dhal Samanta
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: February 28, 2010
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/like-26-11-gunmen-went-from-room-to-room-killed/585389/0
A day after the attack on Indians in Kabul, the government has the Lashkar-e-Toiba
on its radar of prime suspects given that the previous attempt on the embassy
last October was eventually traced to this outfit.
In fact, US counter-terrorism officials, sources
said, had conveyed to Indian authorities a few weeks ago that they had credible
information about the Lashkar spreading its network rapidly in Afghanistan
with the intention to target Indian assets. Their assessment was that this
network was willing to work closely with al-Qaeda elements.
While unwilling to be drawn into speculation
on the perpetrators of the Friday attack, Jayant Prasad, Indian Ambassador
to Afghanistan, said the attack began with the use of explosives and then
the terrorists moved in.
"They went from room to room with Kalashnikovs
and killed foreigners and others which makes it like a Mumbai-style attack,"
Prasad told The Sunday Express from Kabul.
Sources said there were six-seven terrorists
who attacked the guest house where the Indian medical mission and others were
staying. In a pattern that is becoming increasingly regular, a vehicle laden
with explosives moved in first and blew up, making way for terrorists with
assault rifles.
A few among these terrorists were suicide
bombers who went on to blow themselves up once they were inside. In fact,
at the Park Hotel, the bomber came to the left side of the building and then
blew himself up to ensure maximum damage to the structure.
Initial reports matched with forensics have
shown that one of the Indian military doctors, Major Laishram Jyotin Singh,
did manage to overpower a terrorist who was both armed and strapped with explosives.
Sources said the terrorist, in desperation, seemed to have then blown himself
up.
In accordance with rules, these officers were
not armed as they were part of a medical mission - a decision India may have
to reconsider.
The autopsy has confirmed that there were
no bullet wounds on Maj Singh. He bore the brunt of the explosion. By forcing
the bomber to set himself off earlier than may have been planned, Maj Singh,
officials said, ended up saving quite a few lives. "His was indeed an
act of bravery," confirmed Prasad. The other case of bravery being cited
is that of a woman Army officer who was the first to reach the scene of the
attack.
Initially, similarities were being drawn between
this attack and the one on January 18 when terrorists using similar methods
had sought to enter the Presidential compound in Kabul. But sources pointed
out that in the January attack, the terrorists were careful not to harm civilians,
especially Afghans. While launching the assault from the Pashtunistan Square
from where there is an entrance to the Presidential palace, they moved into
an adjoining mall and asked Afghans to leave the premises.
But in the Friday attack, they killed two
Afghan guards. And when the caretaker of the Park hotel and his cousin came
out and asked the terrorists to spare them since they were Afghans, the two
were shot dead from point blank range, sources said.
The Taliban did claim the January 18 attack
but it was said to have been carried out by the Sirajuddin Haqqani group.
Though the Haqqani group was used in the July 2008 attack on the Indian embassy
too, the death of several Afghans in that attack did show up the group in
negative light within Afghanistan. Later, an ISI hand was revealed in the
attack when US and British agencies picked up congratulatory conversations
between handlers in Pakistan and terrorists on the Afghan side.
But the attempt last October when a car bomb
exploded next to the Indian embassy compound was traced back to the Lashkar,
indicating the kind of capabilities the outfit had developed in Afghanistan,
providing options other than the Haqqani group.
The lack of sensitivity towards the Afghan
caretaker and his cousin, sources said, is an important indicator that this
may not have been a straightforward Taliban attack, that the similarities
being drawn with the January 18 attack were more "superficial".
Meanwhile, plans are being drawn to make more
permanent and secure arrangements for Indian doctors and teachers. While India
has no complaint against the Afghan security, thought is being given to shift
these Indians into the embassy and residential complex which is guarded by
Indian security.
