India warns: End to terrorism can't be guaranteed

 

 

Indian police officers inspect debris covered by blue sheets in Mumbai, India, on July 14, 2011, at the Opera House, one of three sites where an explosion happened the day before. (Associated Press)

MUMBAI, India — The triple bombing that killed 17 in the heart of India’s financial capital sparked anger Thursday over the government’s inability to prevent terror strikes despite overhauling security forces after the 2008 Mumbai siege.

Indian officials say they have made extraordinary security reforms since 10 Pakistani terrorists rampaged across the city nearly three years ago, but following Wednesday’s attack they warned they may never be able to guarantee a terror-free nation in a region plagued by extremism.

“We live in the most troubled neighborhood in the world,” said Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, pointing to nearby Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Every part of India is vulnerable.”

No terror group claimed responsibility — and investigators had no immediate suspects — in the bombings that shook three separate neighborhoods within minutes during Wednesday’s busy evening rush.

 

India warns: End to terrorism can't be guaranteed - Washington Times

 

Chidambaram said the government had no intelligence warning. “Whoever has perpetrated this attack has worked in a very, very clandestine manner,” he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was expected to visit Mumbai later Thursday.

“Why is Mumbai being attacked again?” said a frustrated Uttam Jain, who works in a gold shop in the Jhaveri Bazaar jewelry market that was hit by one of the blasts. Jain said he was “disgusted with politicians who promise security, but do nothing after the media cameras are gone.”

The bombings marked the worst terror attack in India since the 2008 siege, which killed 166 people over three days.

After that attack, the government expanded police recruiting and training, bought high-tech equipment and updated its ancient police arsenal. It established a National Investigation Agency to probe terror attacks and set up commando bases across the country — including one in Mumbai — so rapid reaction forces could swiftly arrive at the scene of an attack.

Chidambaram said state and national intelligence agencies were working far more closely than in the past and intelligence collection was far more extensive. The 31-month gap between attacks in Mumbai underscored the large number of foiled threats, he said.

However, the law enforcement system in the country was so badly degraded that even these changes have done little to increase safety, said Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management.

He called the NIA “a tiny little organization,” that is badly underresourced. “It is not the FBI.”

While the police have improved, arriving on the scene of the blasts within minutes Wednesday, their training, forensic and investigative capabilities remain horribly deficient, leaving them powerless to uncover terror plots before they are carried out, he said.

“We thought we were safe,” said Anita Ramaswami, a 33-year-old accountant. “But things still are the same and people in Mumbai continue to feel vulnerable.”