After it took elite marine commandos an hour to reach Taj on 26/11, they have now been stationed very close to south Mumbai so that...
After it took elite marine commandos an hour to reach Taj on 26/11, they have now been stationed very close to south Mumbai so that... TOUGH MEN: The MARCOS have been equipped with the latest weapons to deal with urban situations like using gadgets to peep into a hotel room or using gas to rescue hostages.
If ever, south Mumbai is targeted by terrorists, the country's best fighters, the Marine Commandos, will be able to reach the scene within minutes.
According to Rear Admiral R K Pattanaik, who is the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, the MARCOS are now positioned at Lions Gate, less than a kilometre away from some of the luxury hotels in Colaba and Mantralaya.
Currently, the National Security Guard commandos are located at Kalina, about 20 km from Colaba and the newly-formed Force One hub is about 35 km from south Mumbai in Goregaon.
Lessons learnt
Speaking on board the INS Viraat, Admiral Pattanaik told MiD DAY that the navy had learnt lessons from the attacks.
The MARCOS have now been trained to deal with urban guerrilla warfare, like the siege of Taj Mahal Hotel.
New batches of MARCOS are now trained on how to enter buildings and hotel room interventions.
They have been equipped with the latest weapons to deal with urban situations like using gadgets to peep into a hotel room or using gas to rescue hostages.
"We have learnt from 26/11. Now we have positioned our commandos very close to places that could be attacked by terrorists. They can reach the spot in the shortest possible time," he said.
That Night
On 26/11, five teams of 40 MARCOS sped in boats across the base at INS Abhimanyu in Karanja, across the harbour.
It took them an hour to reach the Taj, as their base was six nautical miles away. The MARCOS had responded to a frantic call made by Chief Secretary Johny Joseph an hour after the terrorists struck.
Who are Marcos?
Established in mid-1980s, the MARCOS are among the country's toughest commandos.
They are the only force that operate in all three dimensions capable of u00a0para dropping with full battle loads, trained to swim underwater and also assault land targets too.
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