12.02.2008

Indian intelligence ignored signs of imminent attack

As Condi once said after ignoring months of intelligence, "Who could have predicted?..." - Ed.

Public outrage in India over the Mumbai terrorist attacks has been fueled by fresh reports that clear warnings of a coming assault were ignored. The Hindustan Times newspaper has reported that Indian intelligence agencies had precise information at least 10 months ago that Pakistani militants were planning an attack. Meanwhile, political fallout has lead to the resignations of the local state governor and his deputy on Monday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already accepted Interior Minister Shivrav Patel's offer to step down after Patel said he felt a “moral responsibility” for the attacks. Tensions between India and Pakistan are high after the Indian government blamed "elements in Pakistan," for the attacks. Security sources say they believe the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the coordinated attacks, which killed 173 people and injured hundreds in India's financial centre. Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has appealed to India not to punish his country, saying militants could precipitate a war.

Source