‘Highly trained and motivated’

Commandos say terrorists were sophisticated in their tactics

MUMBAI: NSG and marine commandos (marcos) involved in the operations at the Taj and the Oberoi-Trident hotels described the terrorists as well trained in military and commando methods and very familiar with the layouts of the two hotels.

“They were more sophisticated than militants encountered even in Jammu & Kashmir,” an NSG commando who took part in the operation at the Taj told DNA. “Initially we could not comprehend whether we were up against a bunch of motivated terrorists or trained commandos of another army,” another NSG commando told DNA. “The extent of ammunition carried by the terrorists initially overwhelmed us,” the commando from Haryana, who spoke to DNA on condition of anonymity, said.

According to him, the terrorists did not act like a bunch of desperate fidayeen, but gave every indication of having undergone intensive commando training.

The officer, who returned to the Taj early on Friday morning, spoke to DNA a little after 2am. His motivation was to highlight the challenges being faced by the security forces.  

A marco also described the terrorists as determined to spread terror, without any sign of remorse. “The manner in which they would throw grenades and fire from different locations at the hotels showed their familiarity with the layout. They must have carried out a survey earlier,” said the masked commando of MARCOS, India’s lethal Marine Commando Force. “The terrorists were equipped with 7 fully loaded ammunition magazines plus 400 spare rounds of bullets. Not everyone can operate such a sophisticated AK series.”

The first commando gave other indicators of the sophistication of the terrorists. “Their style of operation did not correspond to our existing knowledge of terrorist operations in any part of India, including Jammu and Kashmir. Unlike ultras who tend to get desperate with receding ammunition, the firing pattern of the terrorists showed a well-thought- out strategy,” he said.

“The NSG’s strategy was to tire out the militants before sleep deprivation crept in,” the commando said. Unfortunately, this was another aspect of a commando operation that the militants seemed well acquainted with.

“Sleep deprivation training is sophisticated. Commandos are taught the art of keeping their eyes open for as long as a week without any visible signs of mental fatigue. These militants appeared well-trained in mental exercises to ward off sleepiness and also carried specific drugs that help,” the commando said.

The commando also pointed out that while they had gone into the operation with the knowledge that the enemy knew its way around the hotel, the extent of this knowledge only became apparent later. “Even if they had a map or had visited the hotel some time earlier, the way they were operating meant they had memorised everything. It is difficult to imagine militants being trained to such levels.”

The marine commandos, who were the first to enter the hotels, were also hampered by the risk of injuring the many guests trapped inside. “The men had to literally feel their way through the pitch dark hotel corridors and rooms,” said the marine commando, who gave the first account of the operation to the media on Friday.

When they arrived at the Taj hotel, the terrorists lobbed grenades from the seventh or eighth floor. “We thereafter heard gunshots on the second floor and we rushed (there). We found 12 to 15 bodies there. At that point of time, we also came under fire. When we retaliated, the terrorists hurled grenades at us.

Fortunately, we could take cover and were unhurt,” the commando said. “Once the firing stopped, we found the terrorists had vanished and gone elsewhere, which showed they knew the hotel layout well.”

Two commandos were injured, one of them seriously, in this encounter. In addition to ammunition, the commandos recovered a Mauritius national’s identity card and Chinese-made hand grenades, seven credit cards of different banks, dry rations and $1,200 and Rs6,840 from the rucksack of a terrorist.

Security officials said the men, described by eyewitnesses as “just like boys dressed in cargo pants and T-shirts with rucksacks across their shoulders”, were a highly motivated and determined group. Split into small groups, they created panic by first attacking crowded locations before focusing their assault on the two five-star hotels and an office-cum-residential building housing a Jewish centre.