The Indian military commandoes are continuing operations to capture or kill the remaining terrorists and rescue the remaining hostages in the luxury hotels located in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital. Local authorities said at least 125 people have been killed so far and about 300 were wounded as the Islamic militants shot randomly when seizing the hotels, but seemed to target British and American citizens.

The attacks began on Wednesday and authorities said at least seven terrorist were killed and several were captured and are now in police custody. Shooting, explosion and fires broke lose as the militants, armed with handguns and hand grenades, stormed two luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower and the Trident Oberoi complex, and a Jewish center.

Several operations were carried out by commando squads and soldiers and a final push to rescue the remaining hostages and annihilate the terrorist militants is being prepared, but authorities are taking their time in order to make sure the operation ends in success.

"I have specially told the commandos taking part not to be under any pressure from the media or the citizens because at this stage, when were are at the final stages of operations before we can wrap it up, we don't want to be in a hurry [and] suffer any casualties," said Army vice chief Major General Noble Thamburaj, according to Voice of America.

According to police sources, the death toll of the Mumbai attacks reached 143 as 24 more bodies were discovered in the luxury Oberoi hotel during the past rescue operation. Among the dead there were also 14 police officers. Commandoes slid down ropes from a hovering Army helicopter Friday morning and stormed the Nariman House, home to the Orthodox Jewish group Chabad-Lubavitch.

The three buildings mentioned above weren’t the only ones targeted by the terrorists. The militants, who are thought to be from outside India, also attacked Mumbai’s main train station, a hospital, a cinema and a historic café.

About 93 foreigners, some of them wearing Air France and Lufthansa uniforms, were rescued from the Oberoi complex and 24 bodies were found by the paramilitary forces that carried out the rescue operation, the Mumbai police chief, Hassan Ghafoor, said according to several news agencies.

The terrorist attack in Mumbai, which resemble to some extent to the ones carried out on 9.11.2001 in New York, were very well coordinated and had been carefully planed, said  India's science minister, Kapil Sibal, in a TV address.

"They set up control rooms in the Taj and the Trident Oberoi [hotels]. And they were actually managing the operations right from there," said Sibal.  "So, obviously… it's been planned over months."

They were “very, very familiar with the layout of the hotel,” said an Indian army commander who described the attackers as under 30 years old, “determined” and “remorseless.”

The attacks were claimed by Deccan Mujahideen, a group unknown so far. Authorities said the terrorists came from Pakistan by sea.

Army general, N. Thamburaj, said he expected all anti-terrorist operations in Mumbai to be wrapped up by mid afternoon.