Security forces - Out armed, Out trained

NATO country - No Action Talk Only
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" These guys could do it again next week in Mumbai. and our responses would exactly be the same" - Mr Ajai Sahni, head of New Delhi based Institute of Conflict Management.

Security experts say the individual police officers, and guard personnel bravely during last week's stand off. But these factors far outweighed deep structural problems, poor intelligence, inadequate equipment and limited training.

Mumbai lost three of its top anti-terrorism officials, almost immediately when the violence began. They were gunned down as they rode together in a van. The three should not have been in the same vehicle, experts said. Their loss badly handicapped the early response.

Ordinary policemen on the front lines had rifles of the sort used in World War 1.
"We are talking about an early 20th century system trying to deal with a 21st century threat.", Mr Sahni said.

The government has promised to create an agency styled after the US FBI to assign specially trained forces to four cities in addition to New Delhi.

Prof Brahma Chellaney of the center for policy research in New Delhi, said he would be surprised if this Mumbai incident served as a wake up call.

" The government has proven quite adept at making statements after every act of terror and going back to business as usual"..he said.