Kesab كسب Քեսապ
The Armenian town of Kesab, Syria
Kesab Location in Syria
Coordinates: 35°55′N 35°59′E / 35.917°N 35.983°E / 35.917; 35.983
Country	Syria
Governorate	Latakia Governorate
District	Latakia District
Elevation	800 m (2,600 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	3,500

Kesab, Kessab or Kasab (Arabic: كسب‎ [kæsæb], Armenian: Քեսապ, Kesab) is an Armenian populated Syrian border town located in Latakia Governorate north west of the country, on the slope of Cassius Mountain (Al-Jabal Al-Aqraa, which means the hairless or the bald mountain).

Preview[link]

Baghjaghaz mountain pass and the heights of Chalma

Administratively, Kesab belongs to Latakia District; one of the governorate's four Manatiq, and has around 3,500 inhabitants. The name of the town is thought to be derived from the Latin expression Casa Bella (i.e. the Beautiful House).

The town is 65 kilometers north of Latakia, just 3 kilometers away from the Turkish border (which is the former Syrian province of Alexandretta), and 9 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea.

Being at an average height of 800 meters (about 2,600 feet) above sea level in the middle of a dense coniferous Mediterranean forest, makes the town a popular summer destination.

Kesab is an ancient Armenian town, which dates back to the period of Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The population today is mainly Armenian^[1] with an Alawite Arab minority. The town is surrounded with small villages with a population of Armenian majority: Duzaghaj, Esguran, Sev Aghpyur, Chinar, Chakhaljekh, Keorkeuna, Ekizolukh, Baghjaghaz (Upper and Lower), Karadouran, Karadash and the abandoned village of Bashurd .

"Selderan Mountain" in the area of "Chalma Spring" is the highest peak of Kesab region.

History of Armenians in Kesab[link]

The region of Kesab was part of the ancient civilization that spread from the Syrian coasts up to the Orontes River, six millennia ago. During the Seleucid period the Kesab region was at the centre of the triad comprised Antioch, Seleucia and Laodicea. The Laodicea-Seleucia coastal road passed by the Karadouran bay whereas the Laodicea-Antioch road passed through the Duzaghaj valley. The Cassius Mountain at those times, was believed to have been the sanctuary of Zeus. During the reign of Tigranes The Great and later the Roman era, the Syrian coast flourished greatly and had a positive affect on the development of the Kesab region.

There are no written sources about the primitive history of the Kesab region, but the first record of the name of Kesab was mentioned in a historical document dating back to the Crusaders period when Duke Belmont I granted the region of "Kasbisi" to the family of Peter the Hermit. Kasbisi, Cassembella or Cassabella are the names from which "Kesab" was derived.

Karadouran beach

Being located on the borders of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, the region of Kesab was gradually developing by its Armenian migrants. A research conducted on the peculiarities of the Kesab Armenian dialect and the dialects of the Armenians in the region of Alexandretta and Suweidiyeh, shows that the Armenians of Kesab and the surrounding villages are the remainders of migrants who came from the region of Antioch. The migration of the Armenians to the region increased in the 14th and the 15th centuries, during the Memluk and the Ottoman periods, in an attempt to avoid persecutions, trying to find much more safer mountainous regions such as Kesab and Musa Dagh. The first Armenian refugees settled in the area now called Esguran. After a period they moved uphill and settled in the area now called the town of Kesab, turning it to a centre of the whole region and the destination of new refugees.

During 1850s Kesab turned into a mission field with the arrival of Evangelical and Catholic missionaries rising anger among the Armenians of the region who were following the Armenian Apostolic Church. In the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Kesab region was around 6000 (all Armenians), with more than 20 schools, as a result of denominational and political divisions.

The first agonizing disaster in Kesab happened in 1909. A rabble of 5,000 Turkish men invaded Kesab from the eastern border on the 10th till the 23rd of April 1909. The Turks succeeded to destroy a part of the town despite the armed resistance of almost 300 weapon carrying Armenian villagers. This calamity costed the Armenians 161 deaths and a massive material loss. After the calamity, Catholicos Sahag I Khabaian visited Kesab.

Traditional Armenian house in the region

The Armenian Genocide in 1915 reopened the unhealed wound caused by the 1909 calamity. The command of the genocide initiation arrived in Kesab on the 26th of July to start deportations within 5 days. First, the people expressed a desire to rebel and fortify on the mountain Dounag located in Karadouran. Priest Bedros Papoujian-Aprahamian, the priest of Karadouran, particularly supported the idea of the opposition, but on the real ground, the whole idea failed to become a reality. The genocide of the Armenians in Kesab region started from Karadouran. The Armenians were deported in two directions: one towards the dessert of Deir ez-Zor and the other towards the south to the desert of Jordan. Almost five thousand Armenians were killed during this deportation process.^[2] Some died in Jeser Al Shoughour, some in Hama or Homs while others on the way to Damascus or Jordan. The majority of the refugees were killed in the desert of Der Zor. After the cease-fire, the Armenians who survived the genocide returned to Kesab in a process that lasted till 1920. But the eastern and northern areas of the region still remained unsecured, because they were constantly vulnerable to attacks from neighboring Turkish villages. A voluntary group of 40 men successfully foiled many attempts by bandits to invade the region at that time. In 1922, peace was established after the entrance of the French troops into Kesab.

On the 5th of July 1938, the Turkish army entered the region of Antioch (the province of Alexandretta), in an agreement with the French colonial authorities, and the region was renamed as the province of Hatay. On 2 September, the Hatay government became officially authorized and it identified its boundaries including Kesab within their restriction. The Turkish army and employees outraged and exploited against the Hatay government and some serious armed skirmishes took place in the region. Consequently, many Armenians left Kesab for Lebanon or took refuge in the mountains. Many important personalities visited Kesab during that time. On the 23rd of June 1939, the Hatay government was officially dissolved and the whole region became part of Turkey. Luckily, by the efforts of the Cardinal Krikor Bedros Aghajanian and Remi Leprert, the Papal representative in Syria and Lebanon, the parts of Kesab inhabited by Armenians were separated from Turkey and placed within the Syrian boundaries. The result of the annexation of the the province of Alexandretta became disastrous to the Armenians of Kesab: Cassius Mountain was attached to the Turkish side including their farms, properties, laurel tree forests and the grazing lands located in the mountain's bosoms and valleys that once used to belong to the native Armenians. Besides, with this annexation, the Armenians of the town were also deprived from their traditional and historical Barlum Monastery, where the inhabitants used to celebrate the feast of Surp Asdvadzadzin (feast of Virgin Mary) during the month of August of each year.

Villages[link]

• Duzaghaj: the first village on the way to Kesab located around 4 km to the south of the town. Settlers came to Duzaghaj during the middle of the 19th century when it was completely surrounded by evergreen forests, on the road that was linking Lattakia with Antioch. Within few years the area was turned into big farms and more settlers came from neighbouring villages. The village was targeted by Turkish invaders on 23 April 1909. In 1915, the villagers were deported in two groups together with the dwellers of Keorkeuna. A small part of the deported people returned between 1919 and 1920. In 1939, after the new definition of the Syrian borders, the eastern part of Duzaghaj fell in the Turkish side. In 1947, the majority of the villagers migrated to Soviet Armenia. The original village of Duzaghaj is abandoned today. The new generation has moved to live along the main road building their houses closer to the motor way. Nowadays, around 10 Armenian families live in Duzaghaj.

Virgin Mary's Chapel in Esguran

• Esguran: or Nerki Kegh in Armenian (the lower village) located 2 km to south-east of Kesab. The village consists of two parts, the first located at the bottom of the slopes of Cassius and the second is further down next to the fountain near the Turkish border. The nearby settlement of Khayit is also considered a part of Esguran. In 1909, the villagers along with the people in Khayit abandoned the village and escaped to Kesab. Esguaran became the first village to be destroyed and burnt by the Turks during that calamity. In 1915, like all the people in the other villages, the dwellers of Esguran and Khayit were deliberately deported towards the Syrian Desert. Only 50 people returned in 1920, which indicates that three-quarters of the villagers were killed. In 1939, after the Syrian new boarders were drawn, Kesab lost its traditional site of pilgrimage; The Barlum Monastery, which was allocated to the Turks. Therefore, the Armenians of Kessab built a small chapel in Esguran to host the celebrations of the Assumption of Virgin Mary. The Sivdigi chapel of the Orthodox Greeks, which once stood on a small hill just on the Syrian-Turkish borderline, was recently destroyed by the Turks. According to the census in 1955, Esguran and Khayit had only 68 inhabitants. Nowadays, the village has few Armenian inhabitants and is almost left empty after the dwellers moved to settle in Kesab.

• Sev Aghpyur: was originally the cultivating land possessed by the Kessabtsies. Located less than 2 km east of Kesab. The hired labourers in the area gradually became owners of the lands they worked in and formed the majority of the population in Sev Aghpyur. At the beginning of the 20th century, the village was significantly shaped. The villagers cultivated mainly tobacco. In 1909 the Turks coming from the Ordu in the east, destroyed a big part of the village by putting it on fire. In 1915 the three quarters of the villagers were killed during the deportations. The Census carried out in 1911 indicates that the village consisted of 445 individuals, whereas in 1920 consisted of 94 individuals only. After the new Syrian borders were drawn in 1939 some of the lands fell on the Turkish side thus denying the villagers a great deal of their lands. In 1947 when the repatriation process started many of the villagers migrated to Soviet Armenia. After the repatriation many of the lands forsaken by the Armenian populace were taken over by the Alawite population thus becoming a major residing group in Sev Aghpyur. Nowadyas, the main occupation of the remaining Armenians is the production of apples. In 1990, the Aleppo based Syriac Orthodox community established a monastery in the village.

Chakhaljekh as seen from Ekizolukh

• Chinar: was originally formed over the south eastern foot of the "Korom Mountain", 3 km to the south of Kesab. There were two main quarters in Chinar before the Genocide; the quarter of the fountain, and the quarter of Katabians (after Katabian family). A deep valley of a length of 500 meters separated the two areas. After the return of the genocide survivors, a new quarter was formed on the right side of the valley named Anti Chinar. In 1909, the Turks destroyed the village. In 1911, Chinar had 176 dwellers, while in 1915; 210 dwellers. Almost two third of the population in Chinar were killed during the genocide. In 1920, around 77 genocide survivors returned to the village. In 1947, the majority of the villagers migrated to Armenia. In 1965, Chinar had 40 Armenian families. Today, Chinar has a mixed population of Armenians and Arabs and considered a nice summer resort.

• Chakhaljekh: located less than 4 km to the south of Kesab and few hundred meters north-west of Chinar. The village is famous for its natural springs and gigantic trees. Westwards of Chakaljekh existed another quarter called Mateslek after the Matosian family who occupied the yard. The village was put to fire and plundered by the Turks in 1909. In 1915, the people in Chakaljekh were deported along with the dwellers of Keorkeuna in two groups. In 1947, 29 individuals from Chakhaljekh migrated to Armenia. Within the last few decades, Chakaljekh has been transformed into a nice summer resort. A beautiful district of individual villas has been constructed at the backside of the village.

• Keorkeuna: located around 5 km to the south of Kesab, few hundred meters west of Chakhaljekh and around 2 km to the east of Ekizolukh. The scattered historical remains in the village indicate that Keorkeuna had been inhabited since old times. The Armenian chapel of Surp Stepanos stood on the south-eastern hill of the village until the beginning of the 19th century. On the 23 April 1909, Keorkeuna was invaded by the Turks who put the village to fire and destruction. In 1915, more than one third of the villagers were killed during the Genocide. In 1947, 63 individuals migrated to Armenia, particularly of the Chelebian family and 114 individuals remained in the village. Today, the number of the residents increases in Keorkeuna during summer time where native Armenians of Keorkeuna who live in different cities of Syria or Lebanon, return to their houses and properties. Many Armenian families from Aleppo obtain private villas in the village. Currently, the only active church in Keorkeuna belongs to the Evangelical Armenians. Keorkeuna is a quite beautiful and calm summer resort.

The mountains in Ekizolukh

• Ekizolukh: built at the beginning of the 19th century around 4 km west of Kesab. The main occupation of the villagers was grazing and agriculture. During the calamity in 1909, the villagers abandoned their village and took refuge in the Latin monastery (nowadays Armenian Catholic) in Baghjaghaz. In August 1915, the dwellers of Ekizolukh were deliberately deported and the village lost more than two thirds of its residents. Between 1919 and 1922 when there was no official authority ruling the region, Joe Toutigian organized a group of volunteered soldiers to provide security not only to Ekizolukh, but also to the "Valley of Honey" (Meghratsor) and the surrounding villages, with the assistance of the volunteers from the centre Kesab. In 1947, the people in Ekizolukh did not welcome the idea of repatriation, with only 20 individuals migrated to Armenia. The only active church in the village is the Armenian Evangelical Emmanuel Church, as the whole residents of Ekizolukh turned to Evangelism in 1855. Since the middle of the 20th century, Armenians from Aleppo started to invest in Ekizolukh. Consequently it became the first village to have a paved road linking it with Kesab, to have water network and electricity.

• Baghjaghaz: Upper Baghjaghaz is located on the way to Ras Basit on the northern slope of the mount Selderan, about 12 km west of Kesab. The village was found sometime in the middle of the 19th century. In 1915, the villagers were deported along with the residents of Ekizolukh. The census carried out in 1920 shows that 14 families were living in Upper Baghjaghaz at that time. In 1947, 81 individuals migrated to Armenia. In 1955, a survey in the village indicated the presence of 41 individuals. Currently, 9 families dwell in the village. Lower Baghjaghaz is located 14 km west of Kesab only 2 km away from Upper Baghjaghaz. Its original dwellers settled in the village at the beginning of the 20th century. By the end of the century the families had grown and were separated into several quarters named after each family. The Armenian dwellers of the village spoke in Turkish and very few of them understood the dialect of Kesab. They were registered without the suffix 'ian' attached to their surnames. The Latin Armenians of the Franciscan order established a monastery in the village and they took the Armenian dwellers under their supervision. They bought a huge landscape in Kabachinar to serve this purpose. In 1909, the Armenian refugees from the south-eastern villages of Kesab found refuge in the monastery and then moved to Ras Basit aided by the monks of the monastery. The Turkish tyranny didn't arrive to Baghjaghaz and the villagers were able to return to their houses after few days of the plunder. In August 1915, the villagers were deported towards Jisr ash-Shugur, Aleppo and Hama. Three quarters of the villagers were killed during the Genocide. The Latin monks continued to serve in until 1946 when they left Kesab and Baghjaghaz, and handed their churches over to the Armenian Catholic community. In 1947, the majority of the villagers of Lower Baghjaghaz migrated to Armenia. In 1960, the expatriation phenomenon left the village completely abandoned.

The valley of Karadouran

• Karadouran: located in a vellay 4 km west of Kesab after the village of Karadash, starting from a height of 900 meters above sea level all the way down towards the Mediterranean Sea. The village is an assembly of several small and large quarters spread all over the deep valley. Each quarter is named after the family that occupied the quarter, for instance: the Soulian (Soullek), the Zahterian (Zahterlek), the Yaralian (Yarallek), the Saghdejian (Saghdejlek) and the Manjikian (Manjeklek). Karadouran was considered to be the most crowded village of Kesab. The census carried out after the calamity in 1909 indicates the presence of 1286 individuals in the village. After the 1915 Genocide, only 45% of the deported natives returned to Karadouran by the end of 1920. After the definition of the new Syrian-Turkish border in 1939, most villagers of Karadouran lost their properties, which fell in the newly formed Turkish side. Around 800 villagers left Karadouran for Armenia during the repatriation process. The village frequently suffers from landslip, which forced many villagers to move to Kesab or to the nearby village of Karadash. Currently, three churches are functioning in the village.

• Karadash: located 2 km west of Kesab at a height of 900 meters, at the beginning of Karadouran valley. Karadash was not inhabited until 1942, when the residents of Karadouran moved to Karadash escaping the huge landslip. During the last two decades, more families from Kesab and Karadouran moved to live and reclaim the lands in Karadash. Lately, Armenians from Aleppo have built many villas and compounds in the village transferring it into a nice summer resort.

• Bashurd: located on the Syrian-Turkish border around 7 km west of Kesab, approximately 5 km westwards Karadash. It was originally the main grazing area of the shepherds in the Kesab region. The village was founded during the mid-19th century. During the calamity in 1909, the villagers and the refugees were forced to abandon the village, which was completely gutted by the Turks. During the Genocide of 1915, the residents of Bashurd and Karadouran were driven towards the city of Hama. After the genocide, the population of the village counted only 45 inhabitants instead of the 85 individuals as indicated by the 1911 census. However, the definition of the new Syrian-Turkish border in 1939, allocated the properties of the Armenians to the Turks, a fact that made it impossible to preserve the flocks grazing in the area. In 1947, the entire population of the village -about 65 individuals- moved to Soviet Armenia within the frames of repatrietation process. Nowadays, the half-ruined homes of the abandoned village could be seen in the area.

Churches[link]

The Holy Mother of God Armenian Apostolic Church of Kesab

Kesab has three operating Armenian churches:

1. The Holy Mother of God (Virgin Mary) Armenian Apostolic Church of Kesab (dates back to the Middle Ages, renovated in 1880).
2. The Holy Trinity Armenian Evangelical Church of Kesab (1909, renovated in 1997).
3. Saint Michael the Archangel Armenian Catholic Church of Kesab (1925).

Churches in the nearby villages villages:^[3]

1. Surp Stepanos (Saint Stephen) Armeian Apostolic Church built in 909 in Karadouran village near the Syrian-Turkish borderline. Surp Stepanos is the oldest standing Armenian church in Syria. It was renovated in 1987 by the Armenian-French organization "Yergir yev Mshaguyt" (Country and Culture).
2. Church of the Holy Mother of God of the Apostolic Armenians in Karadouran village. On 18 October 2009, His Holiness Aram I Catholicos (of the Holy See of Cilicia), consecrated the new Virgin Mary's Church in Karadouran.^[4] The newly-built church came to replace the old church that was built in 1890 and ruined in 1942, then built again in 1950 and was about to crumble in the beginning of the 21st century.^[5]
3. Emmanuel Armenian Evangelical Church in Ekizolukh (opened in 1911, construction completed in 1956).
4. The Armenian Evangelical Church in Keorkeuna.
5. The Armenian Evangelical Church in Karadouran (1908, renovated in 1986)
6. The Church and the Convent of Our Lady of Assumption of the Catholic Armenians in Baghjaghaz (1890, renovated in 2003).

Modern Kesab[link]

Misakian Armenian Cultural Centre in Kesab

Nowadays there are around 3000 Armenian inhabitants in Kesab and the surrounding villages, mainly involved in agriculture. They have their own dialect of the Armenian language, which is still in use even among the new generation.

The number of Kesab visitors usually grows during summers especially in the month of August, when a lot of Armenians choose this mountainous town, to celebrate the Assumption of Virgin Mary. Many groups of Armenian scout movements visit Kesab to attend their summer camping programmes.

During thae last 20 years the town witnessed a construction booming with the inauguration of several high-class hotels, luxurious residential buildings and the renovation of the existing churches. Many modern and attractive hotels were built during the recent years.

Kesab is famous for its high-quality laurel soaps and tasty apples.

Schools[link]

Three schools are operating in Kesab:

• The Armenian National high school of Usumnasirats (high school since 2002).
• The Armenian Evangelical school.
• The Good Hope Armenian Catholic school.

Since late 2008, the National school of Usumnasirats is undergoing a major expansion process, planned by the Apostolic Armenian Prelacy, diocese of Aleppo.

Notable people[link]

• Catholicos Karekin I Sarkissian of All Armenians was born (as Neshan Sarkissian) and educated in Kesab.
• The Syrian-Armenian well known linguist and novelist Hagop Cholakian.
• Rev. Dr. Vahan Tootikian, a historian and the Executive Director of the Armenian Evangelical World Council.
• Gabriel Avedis Injejikian, born in Kessab 1930, founder of the first Armenian day school in North America.

Gallery[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kesab Armenians website (English & Armenian)
• "Kessab History". Kesabi Armenians for Kesab. http://www.kessabtsiner.com/index.php?module=subjects&func=listpages&subid=51. 

Coordinates: 35°55′N 35°59′E / 35.917°N 35.983°E / 35.917; 35.983

v t e Latakia Governorate Cities al-Haffah Jableh Latakia Qardaha Latakia Governorate Towns and villages Al-Basseet Babna Basta Bustan al-Basha Burj Islam Beit al-Alawani Hammam al-Qurahla Dabbash Dweyr Baabda Deir Hanna Siano Ghneiry Fidio Qasmeen Ibn Hani Kasab Manjila Qaranja al-Qassabin Salma Slinfah Yacoubiya

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (May 2009)

Syed Zaiduzzaman Hamid, better known as Zaid Hamid, is a Pakistani security consultant and political commentator.^[1][2] His byline in newspaper articles has been Zaid Zaman.^[2]

Early life and education[link]

Zaid was born in Karachi, in 1964. His father, Col. Zaman Hamid (Retd), served in the Pakistan Army. Zaid spent his early life in Karachi. He received a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree in Computer Systems Engineering from NED University, Karachi in 1980's.^[3]

Political views[link]

Through his TV programmes, Hamid has claimed that a nexus between India's RAW, the CIA and is responsible for the destabilization of Pakistan. He also claims that the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, were part of a plan hatched by "Hindu Zionists"", and that it was an attempt by the Indians to stage an attack just like the Americans executed the September 11 attacks.^[1][2][4][3]

Criticism[link]

A number of noted Pakistani journalists, writers and Islamic scholars^[5] have criticized Hamid and have described his views on politics and security as conspiracy theories.^[6][7][8][9]

References[link]

External links[link]

• BrassTacks website
• Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid

Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab (Urdu: محمد اجمل امیر قصاب) is a Pakistani Islamic terrorist who was involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks^[2][3] in India. Kasab is the only attacker captured alive by police and is currently in Indian custody. The Government of Pakistan initially denied that Kasab was from Pakistan, but in January 2009, they officially^[4] accepted that he is a Pakistani citizen. On 3 May 2010, an Indian court convicted him of murder, waging war on India, possessing explosives, and other charges.^[5] On 6 May 2010, the same trial court sentenced him to death on four counts and to a life sentence on five other counts. Kasab has been sentenced to death for attacking Mumbai and killing 166 people on 26 November 2008 along with nine terrorists. He was found guilty of 80 offences, including waging war against the nation, which is punishable by the death penalty.^[6] Kasab's death sentence was upheld by the Bombay High Court on 21 February 2011.^[7]

Background[link]

Kasab was born in Faridkot village in the Okara District of Punjab, Pakistan, to Amir Shahban Kasab and Noor Illahi.^[8] His father is a dahi puri vendor^[9][10] while his elder brother, Afzal, works as a labourer in Lahore.^[10] His elder sister, Rukaiyya Husain, is married in the village.^[10] A younger sister, Suraiyya, and brother, Munir, live in Faridkot with their parents.^[10][11] The family belongs to the Qassab community.^[8]

According to reports, the village of Faridkot is quite impoverished and isolated, despite being close to a larger town, Depalpur, Pakistan. On the side of a building, just outside Faridkot, graffiti in large lettering says, in Urdu, "Go for jihad. Go for jihad. Markaz Dawat ul-Irshad". 'Markaz Dawat ul-Irshad' is a parent organisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba.^[12]

Early life[link]

Kasab briefly joined his brother in Lahore and then returned to Faridkot.^[13][14]

He left home after a fight with his father in 2005.^[10] He had asked for new clothes on Eid, but his father could not provide them, which made him angry.^[15] He then became involved in petty crime with his friend Muzaffar Lal Khan, soon moving on to armed robbery.^[13] On 21 December 2007, Eid al-Adha, they were in Rawalpindi trying to buy weapons when they encountered members of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah, the political wing of Lashkar-e-Taiba, distributing pamphlets. After a brief chat, they decided to sign up for training with the Lashkar-e-Taiba, ending up at their base camp, Markaz Taiba.

Initial reports offered a conflicting view of Kasab as fluent in English, and from a middle class background.^[16] However, an interrogator and deputy commissioner of the Mumbai Police stated that he spoke rough Hindi and barely any English.^[17]

Some sources said his father asked him to join Lashkar-e-Taiba so that he could use the money they gave him to run the family.^[18][19] When asked about this, Kasab's father told reporters, "I don't sell my sons."^[20]

Villagers of Okara claimed on camera that he was at their village six months before the Mumbai attack. They said that he asked his mother to bless him as he was going for Jihad, and claimed that he demonstrated his wrestling skills to a few village boys that day.^[21]

Training[link]

Ajmal Kasab is alleged to be among a group of 24 men^[22] who received training in marine warfare at a remote camp in mountainous Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Part of the training is reported to have taken place on the Mangla Dam reservoir.^[23]

Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, a senior commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, reportedly offered to pay his family Rs.150,000 for his participation in the attacks.^[24] Another report said the 23-year-old was recruited from his home, in part, based on a pledge by recruiters to pay Rs.100,000 to his family when he became a martyr.^[25] Other sources put the reward to US $4,000.^[9]

Stages of training[link]

This batch of 25 went through the following stages of training:

• Psychological: Indoctrination to Islamist propaganda, including compiled footage of Indian atrocities in Jammu & Kashmir,^[26][27] and imagery of atrocities suffered by Muslims in India, Chechnya, Palestine and across the globe.^[28][29][30]
• Basic Combat: Lashkar's basic combat training and terror methodology course, the Daura Aam.
• Advanced Training: Selected to undergo advanced combat training at a camp near Mansehra, a course the organisation calls the Daura Khaas.^[27] This includes advanced weapons and explosives training supervised by retired personnel of the Pakistan Army,^[31] along with survival training and further indoctrination.
• Commando Training: Finally, an even smaller group selected for specialised commando tactics training and marine navigation training given to the Fedayeen unit selected in order to target Mumbai.

From the batch of 25, 10 were handpicked for the Mumbai mission.^[32] They also received training in swimming and sailing, besides the use of high-end weapons and explosives under the supervision of LeT commanders. According to a media report citing an unnamed former Defence Department Official of the US, the intelligence agencies of the US had determined that former officers from Pakistan's Army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency assisted actively and continuously in training.^[33] They were given blueprints of all the four targets – Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Oberoi Trident hotel and Nariman House.

Involvement in 2008 Mumbai attacks[link]

Kasab was captured on CCTV during his attacks at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus along with another terrorist, Ismail Khan. Kasab reportedly told the police that they wanted to replicate the Islamabad Marriott hotel attack, and reduce the Taj Hotel to rubble, replicating the 9/11 attacks in India.^[2]

Kasab and his accomplice Abu Dera Ismail Khan, age 25, attacked the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) railway station. They then moved on to attack a police vehicle (a white Toyota Qualis) at Cama Hospital, in which senior Mumbai police officers (Maharashtra ATS Chief Hemant Karkare, encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar and Additional Commissioner of Mumbai Police Ashok Kamte) were travelling. After killing them in a gun battle and taking two constables hostage^{[citation needed]} in the Qualis, Kasab and Ismail Khan drove towards Metro cinema. Kasab joked about the bulletproof vests worn by the police and killed one constable when his mobile phone rang. They fired some shots into a crowd gathered at Metro Cinema. They then drove towards Vidhan Bhavan where they fired a few more shots. Their vehicle had a tire puncture, so they stole a silver Škoda Laura and drove towards Girgaum Chowpatty.^{[citation needed]}

Earlier, the D B Marg police had got a message from police control at about 10 pm, saying that two heavily armed men were at large after gunning down commuters at CST. 15 policemen from D B Marg were sent to Chowpatty where they set up a double barricade on Marine Drive armed with two self-loading rifles (SLRs), two revolvers and lathis (batons).^[34]

The Škoda reached Chowpatty and halted 40 to 50 feet from the barricade. It then reversed and tried to make a U-turn. A shootout ensued and Ismail Khan was killed. Kasab lay motionless playing dead. Assistant sub-inspector Tukaram Omble, who was armed only with a lathi, was killed when the police charged the car.^[34] Omble took five bullets, but held on to Kasab's weapon, enabling his colleagues to capture him alive.^[35] A mob gathered and attacked the two terrorists. This incident was captured on video.^[36]

Some reports said that Ajmal Kasab was shot and had bullet wounds in his hand or both hands.^[37] There are other reports by doctors who treated him that he had no bullet wounds.^[38]

While it is reported that he told the police that he was trained to "kill to the last breath",^[39] when he was arrested, he pleaded with the medical staff: "I do not want to die. Put me on saline".^[40] Later, after interrogation in the hospital by the police, he said: "Now, I do not want to live", requesting the interrogators to kill him for the safety of his family in Pakistan who could be killed or tortured for his surrender to Indian police. Fidayeen suicide squad terrorists are strictly instructed by Lashkar commanders not to be captured and interrogated, use aliases instead of their real names and hide their nationality.^[41] He is also quoted as saying "I have done right, I have no regrets".^[39] Reports also surfaced that the group planned to escape safely after the attack, ruling out this being a suicide mission.^[42]

Kasab has told interrogators that right through the fighting, the Lashkar headquarters from Karachi, Pakistan, remained in touch with the group, calling their phones through a voice-over-internet service. Investigators have succeeded in reconstructing the group's journey through the Garmin GPS set that has been seized from him. The mail sent from a bogus group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen claiming responsibility has been traced to a Russian proxy which was then traced back to Lahore with the help of the FBI. It was in fact the Lashkar-e-Taiba operating under an alternate name after being banned by U.S.^[43][44]

Nationality[link]

After the attacks, India asserted that Kasab is a Pakistani national based on his confession and other evidences gathered from him.^[45] Several reporters visited Kasab's village and verified the facts provided by him.^[46][47][48] Former Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif confirmed that Kasab was from Faridkot village in Pakistan, and criticised President Zardari for cordoning off the village and not allowing his parents to meet anyone.^[49]

Investigative journalist Saeed Shah travelled to Kasab's village and produced national identity card numbers of his parents; soon after they themselves disappeared on the night of 3 December 2008.^[50]

Also, the Mumbai Police said that much of the information that Kasab provided had proved to be accurate. He disclosed the location of a fishing trawler, MV Kuber, that the terrorists used to enter Mumbai's coastal waters. He also told investigators where they would find the ship captain's body, a satellite phone and a global-positioning device, which they did.^[51]

Despite mounting evidence, Pakistani officials, including President Asif Ali Zardari, initially denied the assertion that Ajmal Kasab was Pakistani.^[52][53] Pakistani government officials attempted to erase evidence that there was a Lashkar-e-Taiba office in Deepalpur. The office was hurriedly closed in the week of 7 December. Moreover, at Faridkot many residents and local plainclothes police appeared to be trying to cover up Kasab's connection with the village. The atmosphere turned hostile, and several reporters who went to Faridkot were roughed up.^[54] In early December, dealing a major blow to Pakistan's claims, Kasab's father admitted in an interview that the captured terrorist was his son.^[20]

In January 2009, Pakistan's national security advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani admitted to Kasab being a Pakistani citizen while speaking to the CNN-IBN news channel. The Pakistan Government then hastily acknowledged that Ajmal Kasab was a Pakistani, but also announced that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had fired Durrani for "failing to take Gilani and other stakeholders into confidence" before making this information public, and for "a lack of coordination on matters of national security."^[55]

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its order on Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab's plea challenging his conviction and death sentence in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. ^[56]

Police interrogation[link]

Naming confusion[link]

Ajmal Kasab was arrested in Mumbai. On 6 December 2008, the newspaper The Hindu reported that the police officers who interrogated him did not speak his language, Urdu, and misinterpreted his caste origin "kasai", meaning butcher, to be a surname, writing it as "Kasav".^[57]

The Times of India reported a different version of the error. The Times said that the police officers correctly understood that Ajmal Kasab does not have a surname. In order to satisfy an administrative requirement that people have surnames, the officers 'used the "Indian way"' by asking Kasab for his father's profession, and decided to use this word, "butcher", or "Kasab" in Urdu, as his surname.^[58][59]

Various officials made minor corrections they thought were needed to the Latin alphabet spelling. Eventually, native Hindi and Punjabi speaking police officers talked to Kasab and discovered the error.^[57] The Hindu refers to him as either "Mohammad Ajmal Amir, son of Mohammad Amir Iman" or "Mohammad Ajmal Amir 'Kasab'".

List of various names used to refer to Kasab:

• Ajmal Kasab ^[60]
• Azam Amir Kasav^[61]
• Ajmal Qasab^[62]
• Ajmal Amir Kamal^[63]
• Ajmal Amir Kasab^[64]
• Azam Ameer Qasab^[65]
• Mohammad Ajmal Qasam^[66]
• Ajmal Mohammed Amir Kasab^[67]
• Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasar^[68]
• Amjad Amir Kamaal^[69]
• Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab^[70][71]

Confessions[link]

Kasab was caught^[2][72] at Girgaum Chowpatty Naka in Mumbai trying to escape in a car^[73] and taken to the Nair hospital. According to preliminary investigations by intelligence agencies, Ajmal Kasab is from Faridkot in Pakistan^[74][75] (near Deepalpur, not to be confused with other towns of the same name in Pakistan and India^[76][77])^[2] and had received arms training in Pakistan.^[78] Ammunition, a satellite phone and a layout plan of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was recovered from him. He has provided many clues to the investigation agencies and has reportedly described how they arrived at Mumbai from Karachi via Porbandar. He has reportedly said that he and other terrorists had received revolvers, AK-47s, ammunition and dried fruit from their coordinator.^[78] Kasab reportedly told the police that they wanted to replicate the Marriott hotel attack in Islamabad, and reduce the Taj Hotel to rubble, replicating the 11 September attacks in US.^[78] Kasab also told Indian police that the terrorists targeted Nariman House, where the Chabad center was located, because it was frequented by Israelis, who were targeted to "avenge atrocities on Palestinians."^[79][80][81]

Mumbai Joint Police Commissioner of Crime Rakesh Maria said, information came out from his interview with Kasab that he is from the Faridkot village in the Okara district of Pakistan's Punjab province. He is the son of Mohammed Amir Kasab.^[82] Pakistani authorities repeatedly said there was no evidence of such a person in Pakistan. But reporters have visited the village near Deepalpur, in Okara district, and identified the parents as named by Mumbai police. Villagers have confirmed that he indeed lived there. On the night of 3 December 2008, the parents were whisked away by a bearded Mullah, and since then, there was evidence of a cover-up by plainclothes police. Villagers changed their stories, and reporters who visit there are now being roughed up.^[12]

It is reported that Kasab told the police that he and his associate, Ismail Khan, were the ones who shot Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare, encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar and Additional Commissioner Ashok Kamte. According to the police, Kasab entered the Taj posing as a student from Mauritius and had stored explosives in one of the hotel's rooms.^[83]

In December 2009, Kasab retracted his confession in court, claiming he had come to Mumbai to act in Bollywood films and was arrested by the Mumbai police three days before the attacks.^[84]

Confessions on video[link]

He repeatedly asked the interrogators to turn the camera off and warned them he will not speak otherwise. Nonetheless the following confessions were caught on video:

Kasab told the interrogators "it [Jihad] is about killing and getting killed and becoming famous." "Come, kill and die after a killing spree. By this one will become famous and will also make Allah proud," when police asked him what he understood about jihad.^[85]

According to the officer, Kasab spoke Pathani Hindi and told the police that he threw up the moment he saw all the blood and gore. "Kasab said that he could not bear the sight of dead bodies and after creating enough havoc wanted to go back to Pakistan," the officer said.^{[citation needed]}

"We were told that our big brother India is so rich and we are dying of poverty and hunger. My father sells dahi wada on a stall in Lahore and we did not even get enough food to eat from his earnings. I was promised that once they knew that I was successful in my operation, they would give 150,000 (around US$ 3,352), to my family," said Kasab.^[85]

He shocked police through his readiness to switch loyalties now that he was apprehended.^[85] "If you give me regular meals and money I will do the same for you that I did for them," he said.^[85]

"When we asked whether he knew any verses from the Quran that described jihad, Kasab said he did not," police said. "In fact he did not know much about Islam or its tenets," according to a police source.^[85]

Other reports[link]

In a press conference, the Mumbai city police commissioner said "The person we have caught alive is certainly a Pakistani. They were all trained by ex-army officers, some for a year, some for more than a year".^[86] On 23 November they set sail from Karachi unarmed to be picked up by a larger vessel. They hijacked the Indian fishing trawler Kuber and set sail for Mumbai.^[39]

The Times reported on 3 December that Indian police were going to submit Kasab to a Narco Analysis test to definitively determine his nationality.^[17]

According to the English-language Indian newspaper Daily News and Analysis, Kasab began reading the autobiography of India's non-violent leader and the Father of the Nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in early March 2009, in response to gradual coaxing by prison guards.^[87]

Legal issues[link]

Several Indian lawyers refused to represent Kasab citing ethical concerns. A resolution was passed unanimously by the Bombay Metropolitan Magistrate Court's Bar Association, which has more than 1,000 members, saying that none of its members will defend any of the accused of the terror attacks.^[88] In December 2008, the Chief Justice of India K. G. Balakrishnan said that for a fair trial, Kasab needed to get a lawyer.^[89]

Kasab wrote to the Pakistani High Commission in India requesting help and legal aid. In the letter, he confirmed the nationality of himself and the nine slain terrorists as Pakistani.^[90] He also asked the Pakistani High Commission to take custody of the body of fellow terrorist Ismail Khan, who was killed in an encounter in south Mumbai on the night of 26 November.^[91] Pakistani officials confirmed the receipt of the letter and were reported to be studying its details. However, no further updates were given on the matter by Pakistan.

Trial[link]

His conviction was based on CCTV footage showing him striding across the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus with an AK-47 and a backpack. Towards the end of December 2008, Ujjwal Nikam was appointed as Public Prosecutor for trying Kasab and in January 2009 M. L. Tahiliyani was appointed the judge for the case.^[92] Indian investigators filed a 11,000 page Chargesheet against Kasab on 25 February 2009.^[93] Due to the fact that the chargesheet was written in Marathi and English, Kasab had requested that an Urdu translation of the charge sheet be given to him.^[94] He was charged with murder, conspiracy and waging war against India along with other crimes. His trial was originally scheduled to start on 15 April 2009 but was postponed as his lawyer, Anjali Waghmare was dismissed for a conflict of interest.^[95] It resumed on 17 April after Abbas Kazmi was assigned as his new defence counsel.^[96] On 20 April the prosecution submitted a list of charges against him, including the murder of 166 people.^[92] On 6 May Kasab pleaded not guilty to 86 charges.^[97] The same month he was identified by eyewitnesses who testified witnessing his actual arrival and him firing at the victims. Later the doctors who treated him also identified him. On 2 June 2009, Kasab told the judge he now also understood Marathi.^[92]

In June 2009, the special court issued non-bailable warrants against 22 absconding accused including Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafeez Saeed and chief of operations of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Zaki-ur-Rehman Laqvi.^[92] On 20 July 2009 Kasab retracted his non-guilty plea and pleaded guilty to all charges.^[98] On 18 December 2009, he retracted his guilty plea and claimed that he was framed and his confession was obtained by torture. Instead he claimed to have come to Mumbai 20 days before the attacks and was simply roaming at Juhu beach when police arrested him.^[99] The trial concluded on 31 March 2010 and on 3 May the verdict was pronounced — Kasab was found guilty of murder, conspiracy, and of waging war against India.^[100] On 6 May he was sentenced to the death penalty.^[101]

A Bombay High Court bench, composed of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice Ranjit More, heard Kasab's appeal against the death penalty and upheld the sentence given by the trial court in their verdict on 21 February 2011.^[102] On 30 July 2011, Kasab moved to Supreme Court of India challenging his conviction and sentence in the case.^[103] Thus, a bench composed of Justice Aftab Alam and Justice Chandramouli Kr. Prasad stayed the orders of the Bombay High Court, so as to follow the due process of law, and has started hearing the matter.

See also[link]

• Lashkar-e-Taiba
• David Headley

Citations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ajmal Amir Qasab: The making of a terrorist
• Photos of Ajmal Kasab: boston.com,Indiatimes, independent.co.uk
• Mumbai Gunman Azam Amir Kasav's arrest caught On Camera
• photo of Ajmal Amir Kasab's family home, early December 2008, by Saeed Shah/MCT
• Qasab's full confession – first-person account of Ajmal Amir Kasab, as told to the police. MiD DAY.
• Please kill me, I have come to die
• Ajmal Kasab at WN
• A piece of cultural commentary that contains a long profile of Kasab, including discussion of his actions on 26/11, his family background, his various confessions to authorities, and his behaviour during the trial

v t e Alleged militants in the War on Terror who have lived in Pakistan Al-Qaeda Khalid Sheikh Mohammed · Osama bin Laden Held in Guantanamo Bay Ammar al-Baluchi · Majid Khan · Saifullah Paracha · Abdul Al-Rahim Ghulam Rabbani · Mohammed Ahmad Ghulam Rabbani 2008 Mumbai attacks Ajmal Kasab · David Headley · Azam Cheema Others Jubair Ahmad · Tahawwur Hussain Rana · Faisal Shahzad · Aafia Siddiqui · Aimal Kasi Wrongly accused Saif-ur-Rehman Khan

Ram Gopal Varma
Born	Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (1962-04-07) 7 April 1962 (age 50) Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Occupation	Film director, producer and writer
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Ratna (divorced)
Website
rgvzoomin.com

Ram Gopal Varma also known as RGV (born 7 April 1962) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer. Varma has directed, written and produced films across multiple genres — psychological thrillers, underworld gang warfare, road movies, horrors, politician-criminal nexus, and musicals in multiple languages.