Obama pays homage to Mumbai terror victims

MUMBAI - US President Barack Obama Saturday paid homage to victims of the Mumbai terror attack of 2008, saying those who organised it needed to be punished.

Addressing families of some of the dead at the Taj Mahal and Palace Tower Hotel, one of the targets of the Pakistani terrorists, Obama said he “will never forget the awful image of 26/11″.

Calling the terrorists “murderers”, he said they sneaked into Mumbai to kill “innocent civilians”.

A total of 166 Indians and foreigners, Americans included, were massacred when 10 terrorists from Pakistan went on a killing spree in Mumbai for three long days from Nov 26.

“Those who attacked Mumbai wanted to demoralize this city and this country but they failed,” he said.

“The very next day, Mumbaikars came back to work… Within weeks, this hotel was welcoming guests from around the world.”

He said the Indian and US governments were working more closely than ever to keep people safe by sharing intelligence.

He said he looked forward to deepening counter-terror cooperation “when I meet Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh in New Delhi”.