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Fighting nears end after 48 hours
SPECIAL forces were last night seeking to end more than 48 hours of bloodshed and carnage in Mumbai.
The city's Oberai hotel and a Jewish centre were cleared of the killers, although reports said up to six gunmen remained in the Taj Mahal hotel.
After hours of intermittent gunfire and explosions at the Taj, Indian forces began launching grenades at the hotel.
An earlier airborne assault on a centre run by the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group, Chabad Lubavitch, ended the siege but troops found the bodies of five hostages inside. Israeli officials later said six people, including a rabbi and his wife, were killed
Commandos who had dropped onto the roof from helicopters emerged from the building with rifles raised in an apparent sign of victory after a day-long fight that saw a series of explosions and fire rock the building and blow gaping holes in the wall.
There were conflicting reports among security officials over how close they were to ending the bloodshed which began with series of co-ordinated attacks on Wednesday, but some said their operations were almost over.
So far, more than 150 people have been killed with a further 370 injured.
Those rescued from the Oberoi, many of them clutching passports, included at least two Americans, a Briton, two Japanese nationals and several Indians.
About 400 people had been brought out of the Taj Mahal hotel and officials initially said it had been cleared of gunmen. But army commanders later said two to three more were still inside with about 15 civilian hostages.
A few hours after that a security official said at least one gunman was still alive inside the hotel. Shortly after that announcement, another round of explosions and gunfire were heard coming from the hotel.
Reports have suggested that the gunmen were well-prepared for a lengthy battle.
"It's obvious they were trained somewhere ... Not everyone can handle the AK series of weapons or throw grenades like that," an unidentified member of India's Marine Commando unit told reporters.
He said the men were "very determined and remorseless" and one backpack they found contained 400 rounds of ammunition.
"To try and avoid civilian casualties we had to be so much more careful," he said, adding that hotel was a grim sight.
"Bodies were strewn all over the place, and there was blood everywhere."
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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