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Comments:  80
Terror in Mumbai
Amos Harel / After Mumbai, the war against terror has changed
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Pakistan, Mumbai Chabad 

Now that the criticism in Israel of the way the Indian authorities handled the Mumbai terror attack has died down a little, it seems like a good time to begin examining the practical lessons that can be learned from what happened.

The next big thing. It's doubtful that just 10 terrorists were responsible for the well-planned attacks, as India claims. It is very likely that assistance from other terrorists was necessary, and it's clear that the Muslim organization that was responsible has set the bar high for copycats the world over: simultaneous attacks in several sites, with hostage-taking and explosives and grenades, which paralyzed an enormous city for two and a half days.

While there have been a few multiple-casualty terror attacks since September 11, 2001 (including in Bali, London and Madrid), the Mumbai attack was apparently the most sophisticated of these. It's hard to judge whether Hezbollah, Hamas or the global jihad groups (Al-Qaida derivatives) are capable of carrying out something similar within Israel, which currently seems slightly better prepared than India to combat such an attack. Still, from now on, that is the extreme scenario that must be taken into consideration.
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The war against terror has changed. The new scenario poses totally different challenges to anti-terror units. Until now the military assumed that after stabilizing the situation, it will have quantitative and intelligence superiority over the enemy. But as soon as large areas such as hotels are attacks, the challenge becomes incalculably more complex. Anti-terror experts say that just securing one floor of a hotel where terrorists are holding hostages would take an entire unit. Even Israel does not have enough units capable of handling a few hostage-taking and other attacks simultaneously.

This could justify training additional anti-terror units and increasing cooperation with similar forces abroad. We must also take into consideration the use of agents to collect information in advance on targets. And in light of the quality of the training the terrorists received and the number of people ostensibly training together, the West should perhaps return to attacking terrorist training camps, including those in Pakistan or Lebanon.

We're on the map. The interest shown by global jihad organizations in Israelis and Jews as targets is not new. Now it is also clear that even when the background to their attacks is apparently a regional conflict with no connection to us (India and Pakistan), the Islamic element turns Israelis and Jews into secondary targets for terrorists. Israel's anti-terrorism headquarters is already thinking about increasing security at hundreds of Jewish institutions around the world. For state representations abroad, one solution could be to concentrate company offices into well-protected compounds in each country.

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      1.   The war against terror has changed 04:09  |  Farouk 01/12/08
      2.   Terrorism, Antisemitism,War and Genocide 05:14  |  Julian Lieb,M.D 01/12/08
      3.   Terrorism, Antisemitism,War and Genocide 05:17  |  Julian Lieb,M.D 01/12/08
      4.   bombing training camps are part of the solution but not the solut 05:27  |  zionist forever 01/12/08
      5.   Why ?? 05:30  |  John Lu 01/12/08
      6.   What has changed? 05:38  |  Jasper 01/12/08
      7.   Hey I Can`t Help It If I Really Am Psychic! 06:24  |  Yosemite 01/12/08
      8.   Time for India to get practical and serious 07:41  |  Bob 01/12/08
      9.   Jasper 07:42  |  Peter Williams 01/12/08
      10.   Of course they need to bomb the training camps... 08:53  |  Noami 01/12/08
      11.   Nonsense 09:18  |  Khalid 01/12/08
      12.   "Israel, which seems slightly better prepared than India... 10:25  |  S 01/12/08
      13.   Proxy Armies 10:42  |  James 01/12/08
      14.   The first line of defense. 11:07  |  Jean Van Daem 01/12/08
      15.   Excerpt from the article: (2nd try) 11:10  |  S 01/12/08
      16.   to proxy armies...Occupation is the real terror 11:11  |  Khalid 01/12/08
      17.   #10: NAOMI, THE ANSWER LIES WITH PAKISTAN... 11:31  |  Chandra 01/12/08
      18.   Khalid, please 11:59  |  James 01/12/08
      19.   In a world full of violence how far one can be peaceful ? 12:04  |  Akram Zekaria 01/12/08
      20.   Farouk what made Jews pariahs in the 1930s? 12:31  |  x-ray 01/12/08
      21.   Farouk - 1 12:42  |  ChanahS 01/12/08
      22.   John Lu - 5 what both side extremism? 12:45  |  ChanahS 01/12/08
      23.   Khalid 16 - the shame is all yours 12:54  |  ChanahS 01/12/08
      24.   it should change, but will it? 14:21  |  Avi 01/12/08
      25.   The war does not change, Amos 16:10  |  Sean 01/12/08
      26.   Terrorism never gained anything and will never 17:33  |  17 01/12/08
      27.   When arguing with a Muslim, put the ball in their court. Pt. 1 17:51  |  Walter 01/12/08
      28.   #1 Farouk 18:02  |  dan 01/12/08
      29.   When arguing with a Muslim, put the ball in their court pt. 2 18:03  |  Walter 01/12/08
      30.   #26 Walter 18:03  |  janet 01/12/08
      31.   Balls in the court 18:13  |  Jacob Blues 01/12/08
      32.   Nothing has changed one bit 18:26  |  spyguy 01/12/08
      33.   Farouk Khalid etc. 18:29  |  David Israel 01/12/08
      34.   I AM INDIAN & Feel sorry for deaths of Israelis 18:42  |  Ajay 01/12/08
      35.   I TOLD YOU 100 TIMES AND MORE 18:58  |  indrajaya 01/12/08
      36.   #27 Dan 19:03  |  janet 01/12/08
      37.   Janet, see you did it too... 19:09  |  Walter 01/12/08
      38.   Khalid and making ridiculous moral equivalencies 19:23  |  SDHD 01/12/08
      39.   #36 Walter 19:28  |  janet 01/12/08
      40.   #38 Duh SDHD 19:45  |  janet 01/12/08
      41.   Uh...Janet... 19:57  |  Walter 01/12/08
      42.   The Palestinian militant/terrorist organizations have shown.... 20:09  |  Swiss (Dino) 01/12/08
      43.   Jonh Lu: The Roots of Terrorism in India Are Well Known 22:24  |  massaraksh 01/12/08
      44.   The face of evil. 22:53  |  j`accuse 01/12/08
      45.   #41 Walter 23:16  |  janet 01/12/08
      46.   #44 J`accuse 23:21  |  janet 01/12/08
      47.   #42, Don`t think so, Dino 23:41  |  Gary 01/12/08
      48.   to Spyguy your are right this time 23:53  |  CM 01/12/08
      49.   Janet: Islamic fighters there more effective than Hasbara Trolls 00:27  |  Gray 02/12/08
      50.   FAROUK.Your copout for Islamist terror world wide 00:36  |  PETER SM 02/12/08
      51.   Re: The war against terror has changed 00:50  |  David 02/12/08
      52.   Walter; Let me clear that up for you....please 00:55  |  Gray 02/12/08
      53.   Walter; Let me clear that up for you....please 00:55  |  Gray 02/12/08
      54.   JANET Jews have always lived in Palestine,long before Arabs 01:02  |  PETER SM 02/12/08
      55.   Janet 01:04  |  GZLives 02/12/08
      56.   GRAY Clear it up for us.Who were the Mumbai murderers? 01:46  |  PETER SM 02/12/08
      57.   Janet and cluelessness 01:56  |  SDHD 02/12/08
      58.   #26 Terrorism created Isreal. 02:22  |  J. West 02/12/08
      59.   Gray and Dhimmiworld 02:27  |  GZLives 02/12/08
      60.   Gray 02:58  |  Walter 02/12/08
      61.   Gray 02:58  |  Walter 02/12/08
      62.   The earlier censore didn`t want to hear it 03:00  |  Mark Lincoln 02/12/08
      63.   #52 GZLives 03:24  |  janet 02/12/08
      64.   Not running away GRAY 03:29  |  dsharon 02/12/08
      65.   Failed to kill 5000 people 04:34  |  Kris 02/12/08
      66.   secondary target? 05:22  |  jerri i 02/12/08
      67.   Indian Muslim clerics refuse burial for 9 terrorist 05:41  |  Rav 02/12/08
      68.   Peter SM {Re: #51 , Janet} Just because.... 06:07  |  Gray 02/12/08
      69.   Hindus and Jews should unite 06:12  |  Prashanth 02/12/08
      70.   Janet .. that`s just silly 06:15  |  GZLives 02/12/08
      71.   Mumbai 06:19  |  GZLives 02/12/08
      72.   Mumbai 2 06:21  |  GZLives 02/12/08
      73.   Devolution 06:33  |  Mark Lincoln 02/12/08
      74.   GRAY Which one are the Pals to day?Phillistines,Canaanites,Arabs? 07:21  |  PETER SM 02/12/08
      75.   Pain , tears , anger unlimited ! 07:23  |  Rajat 02/12/08
      76.   Gray post the names 07:24  |  GZLives 02/12/08
      77.   Gray and relativism 07:50  |  SDHD 02/12/08
      78.   #35 Indrajaya 08:01  |  Rov 02/12/08
      79.   GRAY.How many timers have you been to Qassem launchings 08:08  |  PETER SM 02/12/08
      80.   #67 It would appear that Hindus and Moslems already have "united" 08:38  |  Fritz 02/12/08
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