December 18,
2008: The U.S. Department of Defense revealed that it had observed the Indian
Air Force preparing for air strikes against Pakistan after last month's Islamic
terrorist attack in Mumbai. The planned attacks were apparently against known
terrorist training camps in northern Pakistan, not against Pakistani military
or civilian targets. The Indians have since announced that they will not be
carrying out any air strikes against Pakistan. Before that, Pakistan declared
that it would oppose any Indian air strikes, and that any such attacks could
lead to war.
U.S.
analysts believe that the Indian activity was simply the air force preparing
for the possibility that the government might order air strikes. The Indian
government has not revealed who said what on the subject in the days after the
Mumbai attacks. During the three days of violence, one of the ten terrorists
was captured alive, and admitted that he and his crew had come from Pakistan.
