Now it's India's turn

Slate has an on-line article by Daniel Politi about the new problems in India:

Groups of gunmen carried out spectacularly brazen coordinated attacks on at least ten sites in Mumbai, India's financial capital, killing at least 101 people and wounding more than 300. The gunmen took dozens of hostages and, according to witnesses, singled out American and British citizens. The full scope of the attacks is still unclear. Early morning wire reports reveal hostages have been rescued from one of the luxury hotels, but the standoff with the militants continues, and there appear to still be hostages in other locations. A cargo vessel that recently arrived in Mumbai from Pakistan and could be tied to the attacks is being searched by the Indian Navy today, according to the Associated Press. Starting at about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the attack's targets included at least two luxury hotels and a restaurant popular with foreigners, a hospital, the city's largest train station, a movie theater, and a Jewish center.
India is no stranger to terrorist attacks, which have been on the rise this year, but previous incidents usually involved bombs left in public areas. "Even by the standards of terrorism in India... the assaults were particularly brazen in scale and execution," declares The New York Times. Indeed, the Los Angeles Times says the assaults "required a previously unseen degree of reconnaissance and planning" that some experts said suggested "the likely involvement of experienced commanders", possibly from abroad. A previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujaheddin claimed responsibility in e-mails to local news media, but no one knows if there's any truth to the claim. The Washington Post says the preliminary assumption of U.S. intelligence officials is that the attacks were at least connected to Muslim extremists, but they were careful to emphasize that doesn't necessarily mean al-Qaeda or other well-known groups were involved. "The sophistication of the attacks and the choice of targets put Islamic extremists at the top of the list," a senior US counterterrorism official said. "They are the most natural suspects."
The Los Angeles Times points out that the victims included the city's anti-terrorism chief and two of his senior deputies, which complicated the government's response efforts. "We want all mujahideen held in India released, and only after that we will release the people," a militant who was hidden at one of the luxury hotels told India TV this morning. The Washington Post notes that in September, an e-mail sent to newspapers warned that the Indian mujahideen would be taking revenge for anti-terrorism raids that have been carried out in the city.

Rico says it's perversely nice to see someone else taking heat from the ragheads...