UPDATE 2: Casualty figures keep climbing. At least 21 people now reportedly killed.
In Time , Tony Karon speculates on whether or not we will see a repeat of India, America and Pakistan’s reactions to the 2008 massacre.
The Mumbai Massacre raised India-Pakistan tensions to boiling point, and the Bush Administration had to force Pakistan to crack down hard on LeT to deter India from taking direct action against the group on Pakistani soil, at risk of full-blown hostilities breaking out. (The crackdown on LeT proved to somewhat illusory and the group remains active in Pakistan.)
The immediate effect of the 2008 crisis was that Pakistan withdrew thousands of troops deployed against Taliban elements on the border with Afghanistan and moved them to the border with India. While the U.S. has tried in vain for a decade to get the Pakistani security establishment to prioritize the fight against jihadists over the strategic rivalry with India, the militants and their allies in the Pakistani security establishment seek to do the reverse: Stoke tensions with India, in order to keep the generals focused on what the Pakistani military has seen as its existential conflict.
UPDATE: Casualty figures are coming in. At least 17 killed and 54 injured so far.
Authorities are reporting three blasts struck Mumbai, India during evening rush hour today. #Mumbaiblasts is already a trending topic on Twitter.
Some initial reports about today’s apparent terrorist attack:
The first explosion took place in south Mumbai’s Zaveri Bazaar, near the famous Mumbadevi temple, in which some people were injured, said Mumbai Police spokesperson Nisar Tamboli. The bustling market also has a number of jewellery shops.
The second explosion was reported in a taxi in Dadar area in central Mumbai, he said.
The third blast was reported from south Mumbai’s Opera House in Charni Road after 7pm.
BBC adds ominously:
The blasts coincide with the birthday of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the sole surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks which killed nearly 170 people.
Mumbai is no stranger to such attacks. In 2008, Gunmen and suicide bombers killed 170 people in 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks throughout the city.
This video was just uploaded to YouTube: