UK-based security analyst calls for vigilance, accountability for 26/11 planners

London [UK], November 24 (ANI): UK-based international relations and security analyst Chris Blackburn has urged greater vigilance and accountability for the planners of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks as he shared his latest article in Global Order, titled "Mumbai 26/11 at Seventeen: Memory, Justice, and the End of Impunity."

Posting the article link on his X account, Blackburn wrote: "Mumbai's answer to terror was not silence, fear or division, but a continuation of the very coexistence that the gunmen had tried to break."

In his article, Blackburn reflected on how each anniversary of the 26/11 attacks forces a reckoning not just with the loss of lives, but with the scale, planning, and intent behind the assault that reshaped India's security and diplomatic posture. He noted that Mumbai--symbolising financial power, cultural diversity, and global connectivity--was deliberately chosen for maximum impact, with the attackers exploiting its dense mix of commerce, faith, and movement.

He wrote, "Each year, the anniversary of 26/11 forces us to confront more than just the loss of lives. It prompts us to reflect on the anatomy of an attack that transformed India's approach to security, diplomacy, and counter-terrorism. Mumbai was not chosen at random. It represented India's global face--a city of financial strength, cinematic imagination, and multicultural coexistence."

Blackburn traced the origins of the plot to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, detailing the group's indoctrination, military-style training, and support from elements within Pakistan's security establishment. He highlighted how operative David Coleman Headley conducted extensive reconnaissance of key targets, including the Taj, Oberoi Trident, and Leopold Cafe.

The piece recounted the bravery of Mumbai Police officers who confronted the gunmen with limited resources, buying time for the National Security Guard to launch Operation Black Tornado. Blackburn underscores the extraordinary acts of courage--from hotel staff and firefighters to medical workers and ordinary citizens--who responded with humanity amid the chaos.

Blackburn acknowledged India's strengthened security architecture since the attack, including improved intelligence-sharing, coastal surveillance, and faster response mechanisms. He also cited Operation Sindoor 2025 as evidence of India's readiness to directly target cross-border terrorist infrastructure.

However, Blackburn warned that many planners and facilitators of 26/11 remain at large in Pakistan, protected by political ambiguity and institutional inaction. Terror groups continue to rebrand and evolve, he argued, while global complacency risks normalising terror as an unavoidable consequence of a connected world.

The article stressed the importance of remembrance--not for grief alone, but for clarity and accountability. Blackburn wrote that the attackers were "trained, funded and directed" and aimed to exploit the perceived vulnerabilities of an open society. He argued that preventing another Mumbai requires honest recognition of the networks that enabled the assault.

Despite the tragedy, Blackburn highlighted Mumbai's resilience: hotels rebuilt, commuters returned to CST, and cafes in Colaba once again filled with locals and travellers. The city's determination to preserve coexistence, he says, remains its most remarkable memorial. He concluded that the world owes the victims of 26/11 not just condolences, but vigilance, honesty, and a refusal to normalise the violence that sought to break Mumbai. "Mumbai stood tall in 2008," Today, it stands taller", Blackburn wrote. (ANI)

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