MUMBAI: Indian authorities were still fighting gunmen at Mumbai’’s Taj Mahal Hotel, but other standoffs around the city, including ones at the Oberoi Hotel and a Jewish center have come to an end on Friday evening. Nearly 155 people were killed at nine locations and 327 people got injured. Nine gunmen and eight foreigners were among the dead, officials said. Commandos ended a siege of the luxury Oberoi hotel while other forces rappelled from helicopters to storm the besieged Jewish center, two days after a chain of militant attacks across India’’s financial center left at least 155 people dead and the city in panic. While explosions and gunfire continued intermittently at the elegant Taj Mahal hotel Friday, officials said commandos had killed the two last gunmen inside the nearby Oberoi. “The hotel is under our control,”” J.K. Dutt, director general of India’’s elite National Security Guard unit, told reporters, adding that 24 bodies had been found. Dozens of people – including a man clutching a baby – had been evacuated from Oberoi earlier. The airborne assault on the center run by the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch was punctuated by gunshots and explosions – and at one point an intense exchange of fire that lasted several minutes – as forces cleared it floor by floor, according to a foreign news agency. Israel’’s ambassador to India, Mark Sofer, said they believed there were up to nine hostages inside. Sofer denied reports that Israeli commandos were taking part in the operation. Security officials said their operations were almost over. “It’’s just a matter of a few hours that we”ll be able to wrap up things,”” Lt. Gen. N. Thamburaj told reporters Friday. The group rescued from the Oberoi, many holding passports, included at least two Americans, a Briton, two Japanese nationals and several Indians. Some carried luggage with Canadian flags. One man in a chef’’s uniform was holding a small baby. About 20 airline crewmembers were freed, including staff from Lufthansa and Air France. The well-coordinated strikes by small bands of gunmen starting Wednesday night left the city shell-shocked. Late Thursday, after about 400 people had been brought out of the Taj hotel, officials said it had been cleared of gunmen. But Friday morning, army commanders said that while three gunmen had been killed, two to three more were still inside with about 15 civilians. A few hours after that, Thamburaj, the security official, said at least one gunman was still alive inside the hotel and had cut of electricity on the floor where he was hiding. Shortly after that announcement, another round of explosions and gunfire were heard coming from the hotel. Earlier Friday, Pakistan’’s Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, in Islamabad, denied involvement by his country: “I will say in very categorical terms that Pakistan is not involved in these gory incidents.”” The gunmen were well prepared, apparently scouting some targets ahead of time and carrying large bags of almonds to keep up their energy. A U.S. investigative team was heading to Mumbai, a State Department official said Thursday evening, speaking on condition of anonymity because the U.S. and Indian governments were still working out final details. A previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility in e-mails to several media outlets. Survivors of the hotel attacks said the gunmen had specifically targeted Britons and Americans, though most of the dead seemed to be Indians and whoever else was caught in the random gunfire. The United States, Pakistan and other countries condemned the attacks.

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