Indian security forces' war against terrorists in Mumbai narrowed down early Saturday morning to at least “two or three” militants who were still roaming the charred corridors of the Taj Mahal Hotel. By Friday evening, the security forces routed the terrorists in the Trident-Oberoi, freeing hostages held inside, and from a Jewish community center, ending the conflicts there. More than 150 people have been killed since gunmen attacked 10 sites across India's financial capital starting Wednesday night, including 22 foreigners – two of them Americans, officials said. A rabbi from Brooklyn, New York, Gavriel Holtzberg, and his wife, Rivka, were among five hostages killed by the terrorists at the Jewish community center, Nariman House as Indian commando units stormed the building, the military said. Commandos slid down ropes from a hovering Army helicopter on Friday morning as they closed in for the final assault, killing two terrorists inside. Also among the dead were two Americans, a 58-year-old man and his 13-year-old daughter, members of a spiritual community visiting from Virginia, who died in the Oberoi hotel. Two more Americans and two Canadians, traveling as part of the same retreat, were injured. In the Oberoi, police found 24 bodies after they killed the two last gunmen and freed 143 hostages, including foreign tourists and businessmen who emerged with harrowing stories of the bloodshed inside. The hostages included at least two Americans, a Briton, two Japanese nationals and several Indians. Some carried luggage with Canadian flags. One man in a chef's uniform was holding a small baby. About 20 airline crew members were freed, including staff from Lufthansa and Air France. They were among about 100 Europeans who were later being flown to Paris aboard a special flight arranged by the French government. At the Taj hotel Friday, after hours of intermittent gunfire and explosions, the battle heated up at dusk when Indian forces began launching grenades at the hotel, where at least two militants were believed to be holed up inside a ballroom, officials said. The army said two other militants had been killed overnight. Commandos said the terrorists in the Taj were well-trained and “remorseless,” with one attacker carrying a backpack packed with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and they seemed to know the hotel layout better than the security forces, indicating a high degree of preparation and sophistication. “In view of the firing and the positions they have occupied, I would say there are at least two or three of them,” said Jyoti Krishna Dutt, head of the paramilitary National Security Guards. The gunmen may be holding hostages, other officials said. Police said 24 bodies had been found inside, but that number could rise. The founder of a French lingerie line and her husband were among those killed in the attacks. Loumia Hiridjee, creator of the Princess Tam Tam brand, and her husband Mourad Amarsy, both French nationals, were found dead in Mumbai, said Roland de Farcy, president of the group. Among the foreigners killed were nationals from Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia, Israel and the United States. __
