MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- Inside the blacked-out Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, hallways were littered with bloodied bodies.
A commando in disguise give details of what went down in the Taj hotel when commandos went in.
Terrorists were still holding 200 people 33 hours after the assault began.
Knowing next to nothing about what they might encounter in the dark recesses of the hotel, Indian Army commandos decided to go back in -- and were met by terrorists firing mercilessly, throwing grenades and continuously switching positions.
The sound of gunfire and explosions reverberated throughout the hotel's atrium, making it impossible to pinpoint the origin of the shots.
Through it all, the commandos walked down pitch-black halls, trying to navigate the damaged hotel without knowing the layout.
A commando spokesman, his face and hair swathed in a black scarf and wearing dark glasses to hide his identity, revealed these details of the mission inside the Taj at a news conference Saturday.
At 6:30 a.m. Friday, the battle at the Taj came to a head with a final firefight at the room holding the 200 hostages, he said.
When the gunfire stopped, commandos -- known as the Black Cats -- entered the room and freed all 200 hostages.
Their difficulties had been apparent from the beginning, he said.
"We did not know the layout of the hotel," the commando told reporters. "There was one person on the hotel staff who was helping to guide us around."
They entered the hotel for the first time essentially blind to what was ahead. They had no idea what kind of people they would encounter, what kind of weapons might be pointed at them, and whether they might be blown up by explosives.
"Then we heard gunshots on the second floor and we rushed toward the fired shots," he said. "While taking cover we found that there were 30 to 50 bodies lying dead. At that point we also came under fire. The moment they saw us, they hurled grenades."
When the shots stopped, the commandos moved toward the source of the gunfire.
"At that time, they vanished ... they had gone elsewhere," the commando said. Watch commandos talk about fighting the attackers »
The attackers had a clear advantage, commandos said, because it was apparent from their movements they knew the hotel's layout.
Commandos entered dark hotel filled with bodies, gunfire - CNN.com
A commando in disguise give details of what went down in the Taj hotel when commandos went in.
Terrorists were still holding 200 people 33 hours after the assault began.
Knowing next to nothing about what they might encounter in the dark recesses of the hotel, Indian Army commandos decided to go back in -- and were met by terrorists firing mercilessly, throwing grenades and continuously switching positions.
The sound of gunfire and explosions reverberated throughout the hotel's atrium, making it impossible to pinpoint the origin of the shots.
Through it all, the commandos walked down pitch-black halls, trying to navigate the damaged hotel without knowing the layout.
A commando spokesman, his face and hair swathed in a black scarf and wearing dark glasses to hide his identity, revealed these details of the mission inside the Taj at a news conference Saturday.
At 6:30 a.m. Friday, the battle at the Taj came to a head with a final firefight at the room holding the 200 hostages, he said.
When the gunfire stopped, commandos -- known as the Black Cats -- entered the room and freed all 200 hostages.
Their difficulties had been apparent from the beginning, he said.
"We did not know the layout of the hotel," the commando told reporters. "There was one person on the hotel staff who was helping to guide us around."
They entered the hotel for the first time essentially blind to what was ahead. They had no idea what kind of people they would encounter, what kind of weapons might be pointed at them, and whether they might be blown up by explosives.
"Then we heard gunshots on the second floor and we rushed toward the fired shots," he said. "While taking cover we found that there were 30 to 50 bodies lying dead. At that point we also came under fire. The moment they saw us, they hurled grenades."
When the shots stopped, the commandos moved toward the source of the gunfire.
"At that time, they vanished ... they had gone elsewhere," the commando said. Watch commandos talk about fighting the attackers »
The attackers had a clear advantage, commandos said, because it was apparent from their movements they knew the hotel's layout.
Commandos entered dark hotel filled with bodies, gunfire - CNN.com
