• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Ashley J. Tellis"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "SAP",
  "programs": [
    "South Asia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "South Asia",
    "India",
    "Pakistan"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Origins of Mumbai Attacks

The objective of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group which carried out the Mumbai attacks, is global jihad. They are second only to al-Qaeda as a terrorist group of global reach.

Link Copied
By Ashley J. Tellis
Published on Dec 4, 2008
Program mobile hero image

Program

South Asia

The South Asia Program informs policy debates relating to the region’s security, economy, and political development. From strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific to India’s internal dynamics and U.S. engagement with the region, the program offers in-depth, rigorous research and analysis on South Asia’s most critical challenges.

Learn More

Investigations into the Mumbai attacks reveal that they were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT), and the terrprists were trained in Pakistan. Founded in the 1980s, LeT initially focused its activities in Indian administered Kashmir, and has even attacked the Indian Parliament in 2001. It has since expanded in size and scale of operations. Ashley J. Tellis says that the group's objective is global jihad. Operating out of South Asia, they are second only to al-Qaeda as a terrorist organization of global reach.

About the Author

Ashley J. Tellis

Former Senior Fellow

Ashley J. Tellis was a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    Multipolar Dreams, Bipolar Realities: India’s Great Power Future

      Ashley J. Tellis

  • Commentary
    India Sees Opportunity in Trump’s Global Turbulence. That Could Backfire.

      Ashley J. Tellis

Ashley J. Tellis
Former Senior Fellow
SecurityForeign PolicySouth AsiaIndiaPakistan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Europe Needs its own Sanctions-Enforcement Muscle

    The EU can impose sanctions but struggles to enforce them without the United States. With Washington increasingly disinterested in backing European interests, the bloc must now fend for itself.

      Nicu Popescu, Tiago Antunes

  • African finance ministers sit in front of a blue IMF-WB screen.
    Article
    Africa in Demand: How the Continent Is Advancing Its Interests in a Competitive World

    Global and rising powers will need to engage with Africa’s priorities and agency in order to secure the continent’s increasingly attractive partnerships.

      • Fonteh Akum

      Fonteh Akum

  • Men in suits watching people dancing
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Central Asia Wants U.S. Investments. It Is Less Sure About U.S. Conditions.

    Rubio’s recent visit brought welcome attention, but more capital requires governance changes that may be a hard sell for regional governments.

      Jennifer B. Murtazashvili

  • Military rescue helicopter during sunset stock photo
    Paper
    The End of Primacy Without Pain: Why the Domestic Foundation of American Power Is Crumbling

    America’s foreign-policy objectives have grown more demanding while Americans have demanded greater focus on their own affairs.

      Stephen Wertheim

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Why Has Tokyo’s Response to Kremlin Challenges Been So Muted?

    Japan’s long-term security policy is driven by concerns about China, and there is little appetite for (or interest in) pursuing a confrontation with Moscow.  

      James D.J. Brown

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.