Tragedy Strikes Mumbai Once More

In November of 2008, the Indian city of Mumbai suffered a devastating terrorist rampage that left 164 people dead (including 10 terrorists) and over 300 wounded. The Lashkar-e-Taiba group based out of Pakistan was found to be the culprit, and many experts support the theory that Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) provided some support to the terrorists. Now, less than three years later, the people of Mumbai have been dealt another serious blow. On Wednesday, July 13, three bombs detonated almost simultaneously. The explosions occurred in the densely populated urban neighborhood of Dadar, the jewelry markets of the Zaveri Bazaar, and the business district of Opera House in southern Mumbai. At least 21 people were killed in the blasts and another 141 were injured. The Blaze has more on this story, but be warned that the article contains graphic images.

The guilty party in this most recent attack appears to be the Indian Mujahideen, a "homegrown" group that adheres to radical Sunni ideology. While these bombs were certainly deadly, STRATFOR points out that "this attack does not appear to be as sophisticated as the 2008 attacks," which involved a highly coordinated strike by foreign operatives on Indian soil that lasted for 60 brutal hours. One of the main reasons for concern (beyond the tragic loss of life) is the fact that Lashkar-e-Taiba has significant ties to the Indian Mujahideen. According to some reports, bombmakers from Lashkar-e-Taiba may have constructed the devices used in Wednesday's attack because the top bombmakers of the Indian Mujahideen are all in prison. The Indian Mujahideen have tried bombings over the past couple of years, but the devices proved to be defective. Why, all of a sudden, would they be able to coordinate explosions of this magnitude? If this connection is true, then Pakistani groups may be hiding behind local Indian terrorists to advance their common agenda and spread Indian security forces dangerously thin. It would also give the ISI yet another layer of deniability without limiting their opportunities.

The Pakistani government officially condemned the attack, but in reality this means very little. I do not doubt that most of Pakistan's political class are upset at further disruptions to their negotiations with the Indian government. Unfortunately for them, these politicians have less power than they pretend. The military and intelligence services, particularly the ISI, are the real power-players in Pakistan and operate with virtual impunity. The situation is made more disturbing as Pakistan draws increasingly close to China even as Pakistani-US relations worsen. The Indian government is sure to recognize the potential consequences of two of its nuclear-armed neighbors (and rivals) establishing such a cozy relationship with one another. As Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram (read that out loud and tell me it doesn't sound like the title of a camp song) said, "We live in the most dangerous neighborhood in the world. Every part of India is vulnerable." The real question is whether the politicians and analysts in Washington D.C. understand what is happening and have the nerve to stand beside India at a time when the region is turning against them (Huh. You know, that sounds an awful lot like another "I" country suffering from regular Islamist attacks. But more on that in a later post).

The continued attacks on Mumbai highlight an important element in the jihadist strategy: weaken the enemy's financial institutions until they collapse under their own weight. At such a delicate economic time in the world, such a strategy could prove devestating. With riots spreading across the European Union and looming in hard-hit areas of the United States, one critical strike could send the entire world spinning into chaos. And that is exactly what the Islamists, along with their Socialist and Communist allies, want. The people of Mumbai have been hit with another major tragedy. It is important for all of us to recognize the implications of that tragedy. Chaos is on our doorstep, and if we are not careful the entire world could find itself in the same situation as the unfortunate victims of Mumbai.