Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Naval Chief Admits “Gaps” in Coastal Security


The permeability of the Indian coast-line is out in the open, as the country’s top naval officer on Tuesday attributed the Mumbai terror attacks to a “systematic failure” of security and intelligence services, the terror attacks in Mumbai, the worst on Indian soil killed 183 and wounded hundreds of others.

Various security agencies in the country are debating on whether the attacks could have been foiled by using the information provided to them by intelligence agencies.

"There is perhaps a (gap) that exists and we will work to sort this out. There is a systemic failure which needs to be taken stock of," navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said at a press conference.

Intelligence sources earlier told the NDTV news channel that they had issued a series of warnings of a possible attack on Mumbai by sea in the months leading up to last week's strike.

The latest, warning that the "sea wing" of Pakistani-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba was planning to attack, was issued just eight days ago, claimed NDTV.

Mehta promised an adequate response to the militant attacks, while adding the navy had not received any "actionable" information which could have prevented the attack, reported PTI.

Fishermen, who are sometimes seen as the eyes and ears of the coast guard, said the government had ignored their warnings four months ago about militants using sea routes to land RDX explosives in Mumbai with help from the city's underworld.

The attack, on the commercial capital, has angered citizens at the repeated intelligence lapses and a slow reaction by security forces to the attacks against Mumbai's two best-known luxury hotels and other landmarks in the city of 18 million.

Mehta called for better coordination among intelligence and security agencies, and said the government was aware of the public outcry and debate that followed the Mumbai attacks, PTI reported.

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