Posted on 12/15/2008 5:41:29 AM PST by jhpigott
From Barbara Starr CNN Pentagon Correspondent
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States believes that India's air force began preliminary preparations for a possible attack against Pakistan in the immediate aftermath of the recent massacre in Mumbai, CNN has learned.
One U.S. official said India's air force "went on alert" following the attacks in Mumbai.
Three Pentagon officials have individually confirmed to CNN that the United States has information indicating that India began to prepare air force personnel for a possible mission.
The officials offered very few details, but one said India's air force "went on alert." This is the first publicly known indication that perhaps the two nuclear powers were closer to conflict in the days after the Mumbai attacks than previously acknowledged.
A second official said the United States concluded these preliminary preparations would have put India quickly in the position to launch airstrikes against suspected terrorist camps and targets inside Pakistan. During these preparations, a number of senior U.S. officials were urging India to exercise restraint -- which apparently it did.
An Indian Air Force official had no comment.
Air Commodore Homayoon Ziqar, a spokesman for the Pakistan Air Force, had no comment when asked if India had prepared for air strikes against Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks.
Ziqar said Pakistan is not on heightened alert at the moment. "Everything is normal," he said.
Until now, the Bush Administration has publicly said it saw no signs of military movement by India and no indication that the Indian government was preparing any type of retaliation.
The Pentagon officials broadly described the activity as checking on the status of crews, fighter jets and weapons that were available. The extent of the reported preparation was not immediately known.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
ping
It’ll happen again.....After Hussein is installed as Americas Dear Leader #1.
strike while the Iron is hot..well as days pass the Iron is getting cold folks..India where is thy revenge??
India like Israel, if they are both to survive as Nations will, after January 20, 2009 will have to tell the United States to go to hell. And act on their own initive.
The people of the United States made their choice November 4, 2008. I, personally think that it was the wrong one, but, the vast majority of those I have mentioned it to have agreed with the choice made.
They did not come out and say that they voted for him, but, their responses were, “It can’t get no worse than it already is”. I believe that they are about to learn that it can get much worse, and will.
India and Pakistan talk up war but it doesn’t amount to much. This will be the case, too. Much as I’d like to see Pakistan and Iran as smoking, radioactive pits, India won’t strike the Paks — too much at stake.
India's best strategy would be to take a lesson from The Godfather: wait until your enemies think you won't hit back, then "settle all family business" at once.
Agree 100%.
I wish countries would do like the WWII era and just do what they feel their country needs to. What is to say that our politicians are right? From what we’ve seen for years they are wrong. Harsh but a lot of times true.....
If India feels that their people are in harms way by NOT attacking, then actions must be taken to eliminate the problem in Pakistan....who cares what we say!
HOWEVER, there is a 10 km. no-fly zone buffer on each side of the border. So claims that they were accidental are nonsense. No jet needs 14 km. to make a turn.
India was probing the Paki Skyguard/Sparrow air defense system for response times and radar painting.
>>So claims that they were accidental are nonsense.
Yup. They apparently flew over Lahore, the site of LeT/JuD HQ and Major Mosque, saw vid of it on the BBC, smart looking marbled affair, that Saudi money can work wonders.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.