Interesting Times

"Vous connaissez sa maxime, lorsqu'il veut découvrir un secret quelconque: cherchez la femme; dans ce cas la femme n'a pas été difficile à trouver."

(You know his maxim, when he wants to discover an unspecified secrecy: seek the woman; in this case the woman was not difficult to find.) ~Alexandre Dumas

In the case of the November '08 Mumbai attacks, however, the woman is difficult to find. Especially since it does not appear that any officials are looking for her.

As we should all be aware by now, due to an abundance of dutifully unquestioning press reports, there were only 10 terrorists[1] actively involved in carrying out the attacks. All of them were young, male, militant Muslims from Pakistan.[2] They washed down their food with forbidden alcohol[3,4] and took illegal drugs[5] to remain awake and energetic (and hallucinating?) during the long siege. Of those 10, 9 were killed and positively, incontrovertibly identified (exactly how and how surely we are not told) while 1 was taken into custody and is now singing like a bird.[6]

That's the official story: 10 terrorists, no more, despite contrary earlier reports that there seemed to have been dozens[7], possibly belonging to more than one group[7] (although you'll notice that even then all the likely groups pointed to are all Pakistani and none are Hindu extremists who have been guilty of attacks in their own country), and that almost as many, if not more than 10, were listed as killed or taken into custody[8] on just the second day of the 3-day carnage alone. Also, none of the terrorists were blonde and none fair-skinned[9] or white[10], contrary to eyewitness accounts. None of the terrorists were Hindu or Indian, in spite of looking[11] and sounding[12] as though they may be or may have been. And, most assuredly, none of them were female[13], also contrary to eyewitness accounts (and even one report that cosmetics[14] had been found aboard the trawler the 10 terrorists were alleged to have hijacked, leaving one to wonder why officials would even mention that, as well as to wonder why a terrorist, female or not, would have brought cosmetics along on such an operation).

At any rate, according to the times given, the terrorists came ashore in a boat (or boats) between 7 and 7:30 PM or around 8:45 PM (or both). 10 men were seen taking 1 large backpack each from 1 boat and then splitting up and leaving in pairs to begin their terror strikes in different locations; but 10 men were also seen unloading bags from as many as 7 boats and taking them gradually to the Nariman/Chabad House. Also, 10 men were not seen as armed and so were not reported to authorities by a couple of interviewed onlookers; and yet 10 men were seen as armed and were reported to the authorities by at least 1 other watchful fisherman. Another source has is that the captured terrorist, "Ajmal Amin, the only militant arrested during the operation, told interrogators that the dozen ultras who sailed from Karachi had come to Sasool dock from where they were taken first to Cuff Parade and later to Gateway of India in boats arranged by a front man of Dawood, who runs several custom clearing houses in Mumbai, the sources claimed." [15, 16, 17, 18]

A young woman was also seen, by a shopkeeper in Colaba, accompanying a young man later identified by that shopkeeper as the sole surviving terrorist whose photos were everywhere published.[19] They purchased large amounts of chicken and liquor which, it is said, they then took to Nariman/Chabad House[4]. The first explosion and shootings at that location were reported, by an Israeli man who escaped the house, to have occurred about 5 minutes after 9 PM.[20] Other accounts say it was quite a bit later than that. Then, a couple hours or so after the CST railway station attack which began at 9:21 PM, a young man and woman were seen in the area of Cama Hospital, knocking on doors. She was wearing a burqa over salwar kameez.[19]

Additionally, there were two separate teams that attacked the hospital.[19] It was after 11:30 PM, according to one eyewitness, that an approaching police vehicle was fired upon by one of the fleeing teams, 3 bodies were dumped from it, and two terrorists took the vehicle and tried to get away.[21] They were stopped at the metro junction,[22] one killed and the other captured, we are told. The captured terrorist confessed to the murders of the 3 officers from the vehicle.

So what happened to the woman? Did she live to escape or did she die? Who was she? Could her identity provide any kind of clue to what really happened and who really was involved? What are authorities intentionally hiding from the public and why? What are they intentionally divulging and why? How much of what they say can and will be legitimately proven? What they have offered thus far as proof is not proof: saying they have proof is not proof; even confessions are not proof when confessions can be false or can be forced; even evidence is not proof when evidence can be manufactured and planted; and even proof of the guilt of some does not mean that others may not have been guilty as well (such as the more powerful who are known to use the less powerful as patsies and mercenaries) especially when the connections between terrorists, organized crime and the intelligence agencies of interested parties are not exactly a secret and the desires of beyond-state actors who exercise influence and control over many states have been plainly set forth for anyone with eyes to see.

It is interesting how such acts of terrorism require far less proof than other crimes and how authorities claim that it is not only permissible but absolutely necessary to respond to such acts in ways that are otherwise considered entirely illegal and immoral. Because of terrorism, acting as judge, jury and executioner on the basis of flimsy evidence is ok, as is killing the families and destroying the villages of the accused; because of terrorism, using torture to extract information and confession is ok; because of terrorism, pre-emptive wars of aggression and violations of sovereignty are ok; because of terrorism, genocide and ethnic cleansing are ok; because of terrorism, democro-fascism is ok. Consider carefully who benefits from the War on Terrorism and, therefore, terrorism itself. It isn't "we the people".

So look for the woman, meaning, look beyond the obvious and apparent for those truly responsible for this terrible act. In this case, a literal woman is certainly not the cause of the attacks, but may still provide a key or at least a clue, even if she is never found or identified. It seems it would also be worth considering the presence of white or fair-skinned foreigners who did not look like Muslim terrorists, according to more than one witness, including an officer. Surely there were more actively involved than the 10 terrorists now being blamed, and maybe those 9 bodies are not even the bodies of the actual terrorists. How can we know? Whose word are you willing to take for it? Is it even possible now to track down the other persons described, whether they be living or dead, who were nothing like the dead and captured terrorists now on display?

Regardless of what does or does not come from any further inquiries into the matter, don't we already know enough to call the official story into serious question? And don't we already know enough about who stands to gain the most and whose hands are already dirtiest in regard to such terrorist activities in the past? As with all such questionable and contradictory acts of terrorism, just look for the woman wearing the neo-colonial corset under her burqa (speaking metaphorically).

Alot of planning and cultivation has gone into her disguise, so much so that no one dares look at the near-naked truth beneath, but rather will happily and readily accept the outward appearance of the dreaded Islamist enemy they've been continually prepped to fear and hate, no matter the reality.

Remember:

~ Cherchez la femme ~

Look for the "woman" who is not what she appears to be.
[1] We wanted to hit CST at peak hour
The intelligence bureau and Mumbai police maintained that only 10 terrorists landed in Mumbai.
"All the terrorists have been accounted for," an officer said. The Coast Guard too confirmed this fact to TOI.

[2] India police 'name Mumbai gunmen'
Indian authorities have released the names or aliases of the nine suspected militants killed during last month's attacks in the city of Mumbai (Bombay).
Photographs of eight of the men were released - the body of the ninth was said to have been too badly burned.
Police said all were from Pakistan. They did not say how this was known but one gunman, named as Azam Amir Qasab, survived and has been interrogated.

[3] Mumbai attackers create 'killing zone'
Three men walked into the cafe, drank beer, settled their bills and walked out. Then they fished out guns from their bags and began firing.
Gaffar Abdul Amir, an Iraqi tourist from Baghdad, says he saw at least two men who started the firing outside the Leopold Cafe.

[4] Oh Look...more liquor drinking 'Muslim terrorists'
"They had purchased around two crates of chicken and liquor worth Rs25,000 from two shops in Colaba," another resident Joseph D'Mello said.

[5] Terrorists took cocaine to stay awake
"We found injections containing traces of cocaine and LSD left behind by the terrorists and later found drugs in their blood," said one official.
"There was also evidence of steroids, which isn't uncommon in terrorists.

[6] Details Emerge from Sole Arrested Gunman

[7]  Who's Behind the Mumbai Massacre?
Yet the scale and sophistication of the Mumbai attacks - which appear to have involved dozens of militants using assault rifles, grenades and explosives to simultaneously attack multiple targets - raise suspicions of involvement by more than one group, which would involve an unprecedented level of coordination.

[8] Update On the Mumbai Kedoshim
UPDATE Thur 2:22AM EST / 9:22AM IL: Live reports from Mumbai report that six terrorists were killed in Nariman House. Nine gunmen were taken custody. [This report may have been confused with one like it from one of the hotels.]
UPDATE Thur 2:31AM EST / 9:31AM IL: Fifteen hours since Mumbai came under attack, there does not appear to be an end in sight to the situation which involves an unknown number of terrorists in different venues. Officials believe 5-6 terrorists remain in the Chabad House.

Indian commandos storm Mumbai hotels
Thursday 27 November 2008
The deputy state chief of Maharashtra, RR Patil, confirmed the commandos had caught one militant alive as they tried to flush them out of the hotels.
"They have held a few people hostages," he said. "Therefore, the operation is taking place at a slower pace. Five have been killed and one has been caught alive. We have got all the information." [What happened to this live one from the hotels?]

Mumbai massacre: cops ignore reports on gunmen two hours before shootings
But a senior Mumbai police official said: "Two British-born Pakistanis, along with another from Faridkot near Multan in Pakistan, have been arrested in connection with the Mumbai carnage.
"All three are injured, though not grievously." [What happened to these two live ones?]

[9] Officials Quit Over India Attacks
Then, the "foreign looking, fair skinned" men, as Mr Mishra remembers them, simply carried on killing. 
"They did not look Indian, they looked foreign. One of them, I thought, had blonde hair. The other had a punkish hairstyle. They were neatly dressed," says Mr Amir.

[10] Indian commandos storm Mumbai hotels
I went into the building late last night," he said. "I got a shock because they were white. I was expecting them to look like us...."

[11] A search for Identity

[12] Ten words tell, who were those terrorists
In the aftermath of the attacks, with the Indian Government trying
to put all the blame on Pakistan, it is interesting to listen to these
audio recordings because even a cursory listening leaves one in no
doubt that the person on the phone is NOT of Pakistani origin.

[13] Mystery woman had accompanied terrorists at Cama

[14] We wanted to hit CST at peak hour
A senior Coast Guard official said they found only 10 life jackets in the trawler Kuber. They also found some cosmetics and blankets in the trawler.

[15] Armed Teams Sowed Chaos with Precision
One boat, 10 men, backpacks, didn't see guns. Also:
Fishermen here said that the police removed and impounded the boat that came ashore here at the Fishermen's Colony pier where Mr. Dhanur lives. Various local news media have reported the impoundment of at least one - and as many as four - other boats at other nearby locations on the coast of South Mumbai, one of the city?s oldest neighborhoods.

[16] Mumbai Massacre: Cops ignored reports on gunmen two hours before shootings
THE terrorists who brought carnage to Mumbai were spotted a full two hours before they reached their targets. 
They arrived at the docks aboard a rigid inflatable boat, or rib.
One fisherman who saw them confirmed: "Some armed men were seen landing on the rib.
"The police were given a warning but it took them a long time to react." 
The gang came ashore on the rib before splitting into groups of two and making their way into the city.

[17] Mumbai attack: Was Nariman House the terror hub?
"I saw 6 to 7 boats coming  in on Wednesday evening and about ten people unloaded many bags from these boats and then gradually took them into the building, Nariman House', Vitthal Tandel, a fisherman in the area said. "The building has many rooms and these are used as guest houses by travelers, largely Israeli residents. None of us know what their names are", he said.

[18] We wanted to hit CST at peak hour
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab (21), the terrorist arrested by Mumbai Police, has told his interrogators that their plan was to get off the dinghy near the fishing village at Badhwar Park, Cuffe Parade, at dusk and strike all targets except Nariman House between 7 pm and 8 pm. However, the landing was delayed and they reached at 8.45 pm.

Quote about a "dozen ultras" and "boats" (plural) from Organized Crime, Intelligence and Terror

[19] Mystery woman
A shopkeeper at Colaba also claimed to have seen captured terrorist, Azam Amir Kasav, with a girl in a salwar-kameez on Wednesday afternoon. He said the two had come to his shop to buy food supplies. The shopkeeper who is currently out of the city on work, could not be contacted. However, his friend confirmed the news.
The shopkeeper's friend said, "He told me that when he saw Azam's picture in Mumbai Mirror on Thursday, he realised it was the same youth who had visited his shop with a woman, who was also young. He mentioned they had been like any other youths." 

Employees of Cama hospital who live at staff quarters behind the hospital, claimed the terrorists had entered the hospital in two groups. "A man and a burqa clad woman entered from the gate opposite our quarters. The man started firing towards the hospital immediately after entering. Moments before, the woman, in a salwar kameez underneath her burqa, had even tried to enter the hospital by climbing a water pipe. As the man continued firing, the woman, who wasn't armed, knocked on one of the houses. They then asked the family for water. The woman tried to say something but when the family did not react, the man opened fire again. Those 5-7 minutes while they were knocking on the doors were horrifying," said one of the residents.
Residents added that the couple had then run towards a path that led to another gate, towards the common toilets before they disappeared. "As they ran, they kept firing to ensure no one came out of their quarters," said residents, pointing to bullet marks on walls.
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[21] Mumbai Driver Recounts Battle for Survival
He was called by the secretary at 11:30 pm on Wednesday to said he had to urgently rush to the Mantralay. But by then, the firing has already started outside Maruti's home.
....I looked up after 10 minutes and saw through my rear view mirror. They were hiding in a bush. A police car came. They fired at the car. They pulled out bodies and threw them out. Then they took the car and drove past me. Later, I came to know that it was Karkare, Salaskar and Kamte. My pain is not so much from losing my fingers, but these men were the pride of Maharashtra. I felt very bad," said Maruti.

[22] Blow By Blow Account
Metro junction mention.

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