Intelligence failure comes to the fore

After a series of the worst terrorists' strike brought Mumbai to a state of despair with the loss of over 155 lives and injuries caused to 300 people, Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal and Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil on Friday stressed on strengthening India's coastal security.

With terrorists reported to have entered Mumbai from the coast, Patil said security along the sea route was not adequate enough and the government would soon look into it.

He also assured that Maharashtra will soon have a combat unit like the National Security Guard (NSG), the elite agency that has been in the forefront of rescuing hostages and battling with the terrorists for the last two days. He also confirmed that the terrorists were from Pakistan and if needed, the government would provide proof.

"The Anti-Terrorist Squad will now handle the investigation," he added.

Jaiswal, on the other hand, admitted that there was an intelligence failure, which had to be intensified from the smallest police station to district, state and central level.

Meanwhile, the Marine Commandos held a press conference in Mumbai to describe their operation. The terrorists were very familiar with the layout of the Taj hotel and knew how to operate sophisticated weapons, their commander said.