Introduction
Before the attack, the terrorists carefully planned this operation, as it was supposed to be large-scale, ambitious, and have a powerful destructive character. They conducted reconnaissance, planning, and preparation for several days before the attack. The terrorist attack began because the terrorists landed on the territory of Mumbai from water transport. The terrorists took the lives of 174 people, and more than 300 people were injured; about seven buildings were attacked (Machold, 2017). The terrorist attacks had several consequences both for the world community and India in particular. Moreover, the attack led to some negative consequences for Pakistan and some other countries.
These events include the shortage of weapons, equipment, and armor for defenders, incorrect intelligence work, and the lack of protection for buildings that were potential targets for terrorists. Insufficient security at the time of the terrorist attack led to the fact that later thorough recruitment of the armed forces was carried out. Even though the plans set to work with weapons are apparent, still the results are not visible. A combination of several events led to the fact that India was not fully prepared for the attack.
Before the Attack
The policy of the Indian authorities before the incident was aimed at arming the police, which would be able to ensure the safety of the population. Indian intelligence learned in advance about the impending terrorist attack and reported it to the Indian authorities. Nevertheless, the Indian authorities have not decided on a more thorough preparation for the terrorist attack. Some of the attacked buildings were insufficiently reliably equipped with metal detectors and means of protection against terrorist attacks (Mahadevan, 2019). Still, one significant drawback of the intelligence work was the omission of the opportunity to track terrorists from arriving by sea transport.
During the Attack
During the attack, it was revealed that some of the equipment, including special suits for defenders of the civilian people, were not fully prepared for a terrorist act. This leads to the fact that corruption can flourish in the country. In addition, this attack demonstrated that the forces of the authorities and officials are not directed there and only create the appearance of some influence or action. In addition, the authorities allocated funds to purchase new equipment to protect civilians, and when it was received, a mass demonstration was held (Masood, 2020). This measure can be regarded as an ordinary theatrical action that means nothing to the population. The state’s policy is that the authorities only create the appearance of performing specific actions to protect the population, focusing their attention on the wrong thing.
After the Attack
Furthermore, this attack demonstrated that India would not be able to repel the attacks of the attackers due to the inability of the authorities to prioritize appropriately. After the attack, the Indian authorities began to invest more actively in units responsible for protecting the population. Still, if these measures had been taken earlier, many people would have been alive and had no serious injuries (Sonawane et al., 2020). The purchase of many weapons and military equipment led to a new series of disputes about bribery in the government apparatus.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the lesson that India showed everyone by not being ready to ensure security for its country costs a lot of human lives and health. Nevertheless, all states need to take out the main aspects of this incident: it is necessary to put more effort into protecting their people through the correct and competent allocation of state funds. It is also imperative that all intelligence groups closely monitor and consider all possible areas of terrorist activity. The authorities will be more vigilant about providing their combat structures with the necessary means of protection against attacks and will more carefully monitor intelligence work.
Furthermore, there may also be a more global conflict and an unprepared India may suffer huge losses, both in terms of population and in other aspects. The state made several wrong decisions and concentrated on the bad part of protecting its people, which led to the death and injury of hundreds of Indians. In addition, this case showed how important the safety of civilians is because this event occurred because of an attack by a terrorist group, and such attacks can be repeated. In the future, India needs to strengthen security measures to protect citizens.
References
Machold, R. (2017). Militarising Mumbai? The ‘Politics’ of response. Special Issue Global Cities, 39(3), 477-498. Web.
Mahadevan, P. (2019). A decade on from the 2008 Mumbai attack: Reviewing the question of state-sponsorship. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. Web.
Masood, S. (2020). Accused mastermind of Mumbai attack convicted of links to terrorism. The New York Times. Web.
Sonawane, D. V., Garg, B. K., Chandanwale, A., Mathesul, A. A., Shinde, O. R., & Singh, S. (2020). 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack revisited: Lessons learnt and novel disaster model for future. Jamba, 12(1), 915. Web.