By Siddharth Srivastava -
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JL06Df04.htmlNEW DELHI - Following the Mumbai attacks last week, it is emerging that India intends to take the "war on terror" to the next level - specifically, by taking out militant training camps that India believes dot Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
A senior official in India's Home Ministry told Asia Times Online that a decision had been made at the highest levels that India will be directly involved in "annihilating" some of the terror infrastructure and personnel based in Pakistan. Although fraught with risk, "hot pursuit" has been debated in India for some time. The Mumbai strikes, which claimed the lives of nearly 200 people, may have supplied the impetus needed for action.
According to the official, who declined to be named, these operations will essentially be covert to prevent an all-out war between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Officially, India may continue to deny such actions, all the while taking the battle to the terrorists. Elite armed naval, air and army forces, backed by intelligence agencies, will be involved. The operation could eventually cover border areas along Punjab such as Multan, where some of the Mumbai attackers are believed to have been recruited. The coastal belt along Karachi to Gwadar will also be under active Indian surveillance. Bangladesh, another fertile ground of al-Qaeda activities, will also be within the ambit of such actions, according to the official.
The latest moves by India were conveyed to United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she was in New Delhi this week.
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