http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=184919
December 16, 2008 India prepared for attack on Pakistan: Report WASHINGTON (CNN) -- India's air force geared up for possible attack on Pakistan in the immediate aftermath of the last month's Mumbai attacks, U.S. military officials told CNN Monday. While the officials characterized the actions as preliminary preparations to position the air force if strikes were ordered, the comments indicate that the two nuclear powers were perhaps closer to conflict in the days just after the Mumbai attacks than previously acknowledged. Three Pentagon officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, 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." A second official said the United States concluded these preliminary preparations would have put India in a position to move swiftly against suspected terrorist camps and targets inside Pakistan, before adding that a number of senior U.S. officials urged India to exercise restraint during this time. An Indian air force official had no comment for CNN. CNN sister network CNN-IBN reported last week that the air force had been put on its highest level of readiness and that the aircraft had been armed. "We are certainly against terrorism but that doesn't mean that we go at war with any country," Indian Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major told CNN-IBN Thursday, adding that any decision on military action would be "up to the government because the air force and the army are there only to carry out the will of the government." Air Commodore Homayoon Ziqar, a spokesman for the Pakistan air force, told CNN Monday that Pakistan is not on heightened alert at the moment. "Everything is normal," he said. Ziqar had no comment when asked if India had prepared for air strikes against Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks. Another source in Pakistan's military also said the air force is not on heightened alert but added, "We are always ready, on weekends, on holidays, no matter what the circumstances." 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. Also, one of the Pentagon officials confirmed that the United States has intelligence indicating a single Indian aircraft violated Pakistani airspace twice on Saturday. The United States believes the incursion was inadvertent, the official said, adding that there is no information to indicate it was planned
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