Four Elite Counterterrorism Bases Set up Across India

The Indian government has established four bases around the country to house its elite counterterrorism teams as part of its promise to increase the country's security in the aftermath of the November 2009 terrorist attack in Mumbai.

The four bases will be located in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Approximately 1,100 people have already been recruited to join India's National Security Guard (NSG), the elite organization of tactical officers that specializes in counterterrorism and rescue operations, reports BBC.com.

During the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the government and the NSG were criticized for taking nine hours to get commandos to Mumbai from New Delhi because planes were not available. Two commandos were killed in the fighting that spanned from November 26-29. All told, over 170 people died in the commando-style terrorist attack aimed at India's financial hub. The Pakistani-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba has been blamed for the attack, which targeted two hotels, a train station, and a Jewish cultural center. 

The move to establish NSG bases across the country is in response to popular criticism of the government's handling of the Mumbai assault, reports Bloomberg.com.

“This will increase the confidence of the people of the country that they are secure,” [Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram] said in Mumbai at the opening ceremony  ....

Chidambaram, 63, a Harvard-educated former finance minister, was moved to the Home Ministry after the Mumbai siege to spearhead efforts to strengthen India’s security.

Chidambaram said the state Home Ministry would be able to call on the NSG commandos when needed, adding the government also plans to provide helicopters to city police as part of a broader security plan for Mumbai.

In related news, Chidambaram has issued a terrorism alert for the country's west coast, reports The Times of India.

"There is an input that there could be a threat to the west coast. We have, therefore, shared it with (the governments of) Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra. But that does not mean that there is an imminent attack," he said while inaugurating the new NSG hub in Hyderabad.

Chidambaram said a plan to secure the country's coasts is also in the works, according to the BBC.com.

♦ Photo of the Taj Hotel by Betta_Design/Flickr