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India's Deep-Strike Abilities Limited
By vivek raghuvanshi
Published: 8 Dec 12:27 EST (17:27 GMT)
NEW DELHI - Tensions spiked between India and Pakistan in the wake of the late-November attacks in Mumbai by 10 Muslim terrorists who killed 172 people.
India has kept military and other options open to target the responsible terrorist group, which officials here say is operating from Pakistan. "What will be done, time will show and you will come to know," Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here Dec. 2.
The previous day, Indian leaders summoned Pakistan's ambassador and demanded Islamabad arrest and hand over about 20 people wanted under Indian law as fugitives.
As public outrage mounted, defense planners and analysts mulled possible strikes against terrorist camps inside Pakistan. One senior Indian Defence Ministry official said there are more than 100 terror camps inside Pakistan, most in Waziristan along the Afghan border.
India has around 15,000 elite special forces, some of whom are trained by Israelis. A senior Indian Army official said they are trained to strike quickly at targets inside enemy territory, and could even go after the Waziri camps through Afghanistan, using U.S. help. But the official conceded that, to be fully effective, the troops would need better arms and gear, including combat UAVs, light strike vehicles, light 155mm artillery, dedicated military satellites and C4ISR assets.
Most defense analysts here warned against such action, saying the troops' ability to perform such strikes is limited.
"India has the capability to strike inside terrorist camps inside enemy territory, but only up to tactical distances, around 10 to 15 kilometers," said Gurmeet Kanwal, retired Indian Army brigadier and director of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies.And "since the complicity of the government of Pakistan has not been established, it would not be prudent to hit out across the international boundary."
But Rahul Bhonsle, another former brigadier-turned-analyst, said Kashmiri bases would be "camps ... well within the striking distance of the land-based special forces."
India's Deep-Strike Abilities Limited - Defense News
By vivek raghuvanshi
Published: 8 Dec 12:27 EST (17:27 GMT)
NEW DELHI - Tensions spiked between India and Pakistan in the wake of the late-November attacks in Mumbai by 10 Muslim terrorists who killed 172 people.
India has kept military and other options open to target the responsible terrorist group, which officials here say is operating from Pakistan. "What will be done, time will show and you will come to know," Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here Dec. 2.
The previous day, Indian leaders summoned Pakistan's ambassador and demanded Islamabad arrest and hand over about 20 people wanted under Indian law as fugitives.
As public outrage mounted, defense planners and analysts mulled possible strikes against terrorist camps inside Pakistan. One senior Indian Defence Ministry official said there are more than 100 terror camps inside Pakistan, most in Waziristan along the Afghan border.
India has around 15,000 elite special forces, some of whom are trained by Israelis. A senior Indian Army official said they are trained to strike quickly at targets inside enemy territory, and could even go after the Waziri camps through Afghanistan, using U.S. help. But the official conceded that, to be fully effective, the troops would need better arms and gear, including combat UAVs, light strike vehicles, light 155mm artillery, dedicated military satellites and C4ISR assets.
Most defense analysts here warned against such action, saying the troops' ability to perform such strikes is limited.
"India has the capability to strike inside terrorist camps inside enemy territory, but only up to tactical distances, around 10 to 15 kilometers," said Gurmeet Kanwal, retired Indian Army brigadier and director of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies.And "since the complicity of the government of Pakistan has not been established, it would not be prudent to hit out across the international boundary."
But Rahul Bhonsle, another former brigadier-turned-analyst, said Kashmiri bases would be "camps ... well within the striking distance of the land-based special forces."
India's Deep-Strike Abilities Limited - Defense News