Mumbai Terror Gunman Survivor Reveals "We Were Instructed to Kill 5,000"

ONE member of the terrorist gang that devastated Mumbai, Azam Amir Kasab, had been under instruction to keep killing until he died.

But the opportunity to deliver the final act of his mission was taken from him - he was the only terrorist captured alive during the 62-hour siege of the city. Kasab, 21, has since revealed chilling detail of the co-ordinated attack to his police interrogators.

The terrorist gang, thought to number as few as 10 gunmen, had planned to kill 5000 people and destroy the iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the stock exchange. In the end, their murderous toll was closer to 200, and left the Taj Mahal and the Tident-Oberoi hotel badly charred and damaged.

Kasab had months of training before the attack where he was instructed in the use of military weapons and explosives. He and his fellow attackers, aged between 18 and 28, were also drilled in close quarter combat.

An Australian witness, Ray Lacey, who saw the attackers in the foyer of the Taj Mahal, said they were highly disciplined and did not waste bullets.

Kasab told investigators they were instructed to conserve their ammunition so they could sustain their attack for as long as possible. "I have done right. I have no regrets."

Kasab told interrogators that most of the volunteers for the suicide mission spoke Punjabi. They were given false identities and were discouraged from interacting with each other beyond what was barely necessary.