At a chaotic press briefing in the early hours of Saturday, an Indian army chief told the assembled media that the siege at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel was effectively over. He said that his officers were however sweeping the hotel checking every room in the vast building. The chief of the operation which has lasted 58 hours said three terrorists had been killed. In total there have been around 12 militants killed over the three days, but the death toll they brought to the streets of Mumbai stands far higher. Officially the civilian death toll stands at 156 but may rise significantly as bodies are recovered from the Oberoi and Taj hotels. Already questions have been asked over how the security operation was handled and if enough was done to prevent such attacks. But for now there will be relief that the worst is over. The work now starts to rebuild, not only the damaged properties, but also the shattered lives of hundreds of families who will be grieving in the coming days as they bury their loved ones. India too will have to pick up the pieces as it tries to repair its image, much tarnished by this terrorist attack.
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