Nepal's National Unity Campaign organises bike rally against Pakistan for 26/11 attacks

On the 13th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, a motorcycle rally was organised in Janakpurdham, Nepal, against Pakistan for supporting terrorism. Under the direction of the National Unity Campaign, youngsters organised a motorbike rally and held posters with various messages accusing Pakistan of supporting terrorism to mark the terrorist assault in Mumbai. The motorcyclists left the local railway station and travelled via Yali Bhanu Chowk, Shiva Chowk, and Janak Chowk before arriving at Janaki Temple, ANI reported.

On Friday, India marked the 13th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, which killed 174 people, including 20 security officers and 26 foreign nationals, and injured over 300 more. Earlier today, even as the external affairs ministry summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat to seek a speedy trial of those guilty for the carnage in the country's financial centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that India cannot forget the wounds of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The 26/11 attacks have left deep scars in India, PM Modi said in a brief video posted on Twitter by the external affairs ministry. "Now, today’s India is combating terrorism with a new policy and new ways. I pay my homage to all those who died in the Mumbai attacks. Many brave police personnel were martyred in this attack. I also pay homage to them," he added.

The 26/11 attacks

On November 26, 2011, 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists arrived in Mumbai by ship from Pakistan and carried out a series of synchronised shooting and bombing operations around the city. The attackers targeted prominent landmarks in Mumbai after sailing into the city under the cover of darkness, with the first attack taking place at the packed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station. The attack at this station was carried out by Ajmal Amir Kasab and Ismail Khan, who killed 58 people and injured over 100 more. Kasab and Khan later entered to attack Cama Medical. They killed six police officers, including Hemant Karkare of the city's Anti-Terrorism Squad, in an ambush after leaving the hospital.

The second location of the attack was the Nariman House commercial and residential complex, where a Rabbi, his wife, and six others, including five Israeli nationals, were massacred by the terrorists who had taken them hostage in the first place. Moshe, the Rabbi couple's two-year-old child, survived the attack. Then 'Baby Moshe' became the face of brutal terrorism's innocent victims. The Leopold Cafe was the third target on November 26th, followed by the Taj Mahal Hotel and Tower. Four terrorists carried out the attack at the cafe before storming the famed Taj hotel, where they killed up to 31 people over the course of a three-day siege. The Oberoi-Trident hotel was also attacked on November 26th, with another set of two terrorists entering at almost the same time that the other four had entered the Taj.

The siege at the Oberoi-Trident hotel finally ended on the evening of November 28, with up to 30 people slain in the horrible attack. The attack and seizure came to an end on November 29, 2008, when NSG secured the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Over 160 people had been killed and hundreds had been injured by the time NSG commandos gunned down the remaining terrorists who had been holed up in south Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace hotel. Following the attack, it was discovered that 10 terrorists had sailed to Mumbai from Pakistan's coastal city of Karachi. 

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP/Representative