One hundred and sixty four civilians were killed by 10 terrorists from Pakistan during those three days, and more than 300 were injured. You can find a written description in the Wiki entry, but the videos tell the terrifying tale.

Let’s not forget what happens during terrorist events. These are not people you can negotiate with, and I hope that many leaders in the free world still understand that fact. You’ll find the audio calls between the terrorists and their handlers chilling, and note the recordings are the actual calls.

Hat tip to Pam at Atlas Shrugs for the video heads-up. We start with the YouTube description for the five-part video…

The untold story of 2008′s terrorist attack, in the words of its victims and the gunmen. The programme contains graphic images and descriptions of the atrocity which may upset some viewers. Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Dan Reed, Terror in Mumbai tells the story of what happened when 10 gunmen held one of the world’s busiest cities hostage; killing and wounding hundreds of people while holding India’s crack security forces at bay.

Featuring footage of the attacks and interviews with senior police officers and hostages, including the testimony from Kasab – the sole surviving gunman, Dispatches reveals what happened, hour by hour, from the perspective of the security forces, the terrorists, their masterminds and the victims.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7hTRozowjY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vButNJDHIUA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFrpIk-h2Pc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQylElFV8iY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQjOAnQ4k0g

D’Souza watched much of the carnage that occurred at the station as two terrorists moved in. During interviews he has mentioned that armed police took cover and did not respond even when there were clear opportunities to take a shot

D’Souza’s story is told by Jerome Taylor in the Belfast Telegraph. I certainly do not mean to question the account, but some may question his recollection. Were there masses of police at the station?

But what angered Mr D’Souza almost as much were the masses of armed police hiding in the area who simply refused to shoot back. “There were armed policemen hiding all around the station but none of them did anything,” he said. “At one point, I ran up to them and told them to use their weapons. I said, ‘Shoot them, they’re sitting ducks!’ but they just didn’t shoot back.”

This paragraph, if true, is telling. We all want to think that if we were in a position to do something – especially if trained to respond – we would. But we really do not know how we would react in a fight or flight situation. In this case it seems police took cover and refused to engage.

If you think training with a firearm a few hours a year ensures that you can take control of an escalating situation, think again. Remember, even when trained police are close by, they may be unable to help.

This tragedy is just that, a tragedy that was probably difficult to stop. Here in the States, my sources tell me that cargo ships and tanker crews are logged at their departure point and, in many cases met, by the Coast Guard prior to reaching port where crew manifests – forwarded earlier – are matched to the crew on board. The Coast Guard does have an extensive system similar to air traffic control to monitor shipping traffic.

That said, it may be difficult to stop an attack similar to this in the United States.

D’Souza continues.

The gunmen were terrifyingly professional, making sure at least one of them was able to fire their rifle while the other reloaded. By the time he managed to capture the killer on camera, Mr D’Souza had already seen two gunmen calmly stroll across the station concourse shooting both civilians and policemen, many of whom, he said, were armed but did not fire back. “I first saw the gunmen outside the station,” Mr D’Souza said. “With their rucksacks and Western clothes they looked like backpackers, not terrorists, but they were very heavily armed and clearly knew how to use their rifles.

Just because one continued to fire while the other reloaded does not make this a professional team. I’d venture to say that describing them as calm may simply indicate that they were determined to keep going, and cause as much terror as possible.

Blackfive mentions another quote by D’Souza.

“They were firing from their hips. Very professional. Very cool,” says D’Souza, the newspaper’s photo editor.

Blackfive – well versed – goes on.

I hate to bust your bubble, but shooting from the hip is the perfect sign they were not professionals. It is inherently inaccurate, and also makes you very likely to shoot over people’s heads as the muzzle climbs. Pros of any flavor, or even marginally trained chimps would be firing from the shoulder. Remember again that other than the police station most of these were soft targets and they were simply walking around spraying rounds and tossing grenades. Once again not much more than chimps with an evil purpose.

And willing to die.