Blinken wants 26/11 perpetrators to face justice
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stressed on a speedy trial of the perpetrators of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that resulted in deaths of several hundreds, including foreign nationals, six of whom were Americans.
A group of 10 Laskhar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan went on a rampage in a number of locations in Mumbai, carrying out coordinated attacks on a railway station, two luxury hotels and jewish centre after sneaking into the country’s financial capital via the Arabian Sea.
The incident sent shockwaves across India and the world and the relationship between India and Pakistan
plummeted in the wake of the disaster.
“Thirteen years have passed since the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai. On today’s anniversary, we remember the victims, including six Americans, and the resiliency of Mumbaikars. It is long overdue for the perpetrators to face justice,” Blinken said in a tweet on Friday (26), which marked the 13th anniversary of the terror attacks.
Blinken’s deputy Wendy Sherman said the US and India remain united in the fight against terrorism.
“On my recent trip to Mumbai, I visited the 26/11 Memorial at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel to honour the memory of those who lost their lives in the horrific Mumbai terror attack,” she said.
The Indian embassy in Washington organized a solemn event in its premises to mark the 13th anniversary of the tragedy which was attended by Jennifer Larson, deputy assistant secretary bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, US state department; Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch and several community members, besides the embassy officials.
The guests on the occasion observed a minute’s silence after the dignitaries lit candles in the memory of the martyrs of 26/11 attacks.
The dignitaries emphasized on the necessity of coordinated efforts to fight terrorism and to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice.
While Larson highlighted India-US cooperation in the field of counterterrorism, Shemtov recalled the strong India-US relationship and friendship between Jewish people and India.
He also appreciated the visit of Moshe Holtzberg (who lost his parents in the attacks) to India in 2018 at the initiative of Narendra Modi.