Brussels - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer condemned Thursday what he described as a "cowardly" terrorist attack targeting innocent victims in Mumbai.

"I condemn in the strongest possible terms the mindless and indiscriminate terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Attacking innocent people, tourists and patients in hospitals is despicable and cowardly," de Hoop Scheffer said in a statement.

The head of the transatlantic alliance offered his solidarity and sympathy to the victims and said his organization would "spare no effort to fight the scourge of terrorism."

New Delhi - Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Thursday condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and offered to set up a hotline between the intelligence chiefs of the two countries to strengthen a joint anti-terrorism mechanism with India.

Qureshi, who is in India on a four-day visit, said he was "shocked and horrified" to hear about the attacks in Mumbai that claimed over 100 lives.

He mentioned he had spoken of the need for the two countries to step up their fight against terrorism in his talks with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday.

Hemant Karkare, Maharashta Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad chief, who was probing the Malegaon blast case was among 11officials killed on Wednesday night in encounters with terrorists who struck late at night in India's financial nucleus.

Karkare, 54, was leading an operation at hotel Taj against terrorists who had taken 15 people, including seven foreigners, as hostages when he was shot by terrorists.

New Delhi - Well-heeled businessmen, corporate honchos, celebrities dining by candlelight - that is the usual night at Mumbai's Taj hotel, which is as much a symbol of India's economic prowess and its pockets of affluence as the city in which it has stood for more than a hundred years.

But early on Thursday, fire spewed out of the dome-shaped roof of the building after gunshots and grenade blasts rent the air as a group of heavily armed terrorists stormed the building and fired indiscriminately, killing guests and hotel staff.

Mumbai, 27th Nov 2008 -- India woke to a bloody dawn today as terrorists attacked 10 places in India's financial capital of Mumbai, killing more than 100 and injuring at least 200 people.

They fired indiscriminately at some places, including at a hospital, and also took US, British and Israeli citizens as hostages in two hotels and a nearby building. In one hotel, the number of those held hostage was reported to be between 40 to 50, but there were several guests also locked in their rooms.

The incident is the worst ever terror attack in India, and perhaps also in the world.

Sydney - A leader of Australia's 300,000 Muslims on Thursday said terrorist attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai were "abhorrent, despicable and outrageous."

"Attacks against innocent persons are abhorrent to all peaceful people and to all faiths and those who engage in this behaviour stand condemned," Australian Federation of Islamic Councils president Ikebal Adam Patel said in a statement.

"People of goodwill and faith must double their efforts and resources to fight against such acts of barbarism and inhumanity."