18 Bombs Found, Defused In Indian State Rocked By Blasts

Onlookers stand near a damaged bus after a bomb blast in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad July 26, 2008. (REUTERS/Amit Dave)

From M & C:

New Delhi - India's western state of Gujarat was on high alert Tuesday after police found 18 bombs in Surat city, three days after synchronized blasts killed up to 50 people in the state's main city of Ahmedabad.

Police defused all the bombs which were found in residential areas, in markets and along roads of Surat, which is among the world's biggest diamond-polishing centres and is located 200 kilometres south of Ahmedabad.

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My Comment: By the sheer number of bombs being found, this indicates a comprehensive organization at work. It is clear that India is at war with extremists groups, and that the country is not prepared to fight this enemy.

Bombings In India May Threaten India-Pakistan Relations

Bloody water ran early Sunday outside a hospital in Ahmedabad, India, where a blast on Saturday killed husband-and-wife doctors and two sanitation workers

From The Christian Science Monitor:

Islamic militants claim to be targeting Indian cities to stoke communal tensions.

NEW DELHI - Indian cities are on high alert after a series of explosions ripped through the western city of Ahmedabad on Saturday, killing at least 45 people and wounding 160. The blasts, which occurred a day after bombings in the southern city of Bangalore, are the latest in a string of attacks in India believed to be the work of Islamic terrorists.

A little known group calling itself the "Indian Mujahideen" claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad bombings, just as it had for an attack in Jaipur in May that killed 60 people. But security analysts and intelligence officials are doubtful about these claims and instead suspect that militant Islamic groups from Pakistan and Bangladesh are behind the attacks.

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More News On The Bombings In India

India resurrects plans for counter-terrorism agency after latest bombings -- Times Online
2 Bombs Defused in India's Ahmedabad After Deadly Attacks -- Voice Of America
India on Alert, Steps Up Security After Bombings Kill 45 People -- Bloomberg
Indian cities on alert for bombs -- Scotsman
Indian army patrols cities as Islamist group claims wave of bombings that left 46 dead -- The Guardian
Appeal for calm after 'tinderbox' state is hit by tiffin-box bombers -- The Independent
Terrorist Attacks Unsettling India -- New York Times
India on high alert as bombers sought -- The Telegraph

My Comment: The overwhelming consensus is that India has lost control of the situation. Expect the Indian Government to soon sanction an increase in police enforcement and finger pointing at Pakistan.

Tensions in the region are now rising.