Relief after 48 hours of agony in terror-holes

MUMBAI: In an operation that lasted close to 48 hours, commandos killed all the terrorists holed up in Nariman House and Trident Hotel and set the hostages free. While they were yet to flush out those who had held the Taj to ransom, officials said this too was in its final stages.

At the politically-sensitive Jewish Centre at Nariman House, the clean-up operation had started early on, with two army helicopters dropping commandos with AK-47s on to the terrace of the building. Several rounds of fire were exchanged between the terrorists and NSG commandos during the course of the day.

But what took the security forces closer to their goal some time after lunch was the use of a grenade by the terrorists, which destroyed the third floor. This set the stage for the use of an intensive explosive device (IED) by the commandos later in the evening.

Throughout the day, locals crowded on to the streets. Although some were boisterous, leading the police to intervene, others were seen supplying food to the commandos.

Action was still on at the Taj, at the time of going to press. At 4.30 pm, a resolute attempt was launched by the forces to weed out terrorists. At least 15 loud explosions believed to have caused by hand grenades were heard in the hour that followed. Automatic guns��� cross-fire was also heard.

But the rescue effort at Taj was not without collateral damage. At least three persons ��� two women journalists and a middle-aged Congress worker who was at the spot to help ��� were hit by shrapnel. The elite NSG lost a senior official in the operation ��� Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan.

Media personnel, both Indian and foreign, were more cautious on Friday and ducked each time gun shots and explosions were heard. At any given time, one could find at least a 100 people lying down or squatting on the promenade.

Meanwhile, Friday was largely peaceful at the Oberoi Hotel, barring a few instances of gunfire and explosions in the morning. The operation ended late in the afternoon, and the spotlight turned to the hotel guests, who were subsequently brought out.

The defining moment was that of a chef who walked out with his six-month-old son, unscathed. The father-son duo had survived the ordeal, with the little one oblivious to the events that unfolded over the past 40 hours.

Tears of joy streamed down the faces of relatives who were thankful to the NSG commandos and other forces. However, those who were struggling for news about their near and dear kept their fingers crossed, assuming, ���No news is good news.���