Gates Says India May Retaliate Another 26/11 Militarily
In the event of another 26/11 type attack, India could easily lose patience despite the great restraint shown by it after the Mumbai terror attacks, said US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.
“I think it’s not unreasonable to assume Indian patience would be limited were there to be further attacks, Gates told reporters on a trip to New Delhi,” he was quoted as saying by media reports.
Gates’s remarks underline widespread apprehensions among a number of diplomats that another Mumbai type attack could provoke India to retaliate against Pakistan militarily and thus further destabilize the region, putting US plans for peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan in jeopardy, reports said.
The US defence secretary said that militant outfits working together around Afghanistan-Pakistan border take mileage from each-other’s success and pose a security threat to the entire region, said reports.
Gates also listed many militant groups operating under the umbrella of al-Qaida, including LeT, and the Taliban.
“LeT is operating in league with Al Qaeda as part of a syndicate of terror groups,” Gates was quoted as saying. “The syndicate is dangerous for the whole region.”
He said that after success of one group in carrying out an attack, all of them gain in capability and reputation.
Gates also said that India and Pakistan should cooperate against a threat that affects them both but remarked that ‘it would be unreasonable to assume that India have unlimited patience in case it faces a 26/11 type terror attack’.
