INDIA-PAKISTAN SITUATION REPORT

Document Type:

CREST [1]

Collection:

General CIA Records [2]

Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):

CIA-RDP85T00875R001100100154-5

Release Decision:

RIPPUB

Original Classification:

Document Page Count:

Document Creation Date:

December 21, 2016

Document Release Date:

February 8, 2008

Sequence Number:

154

Case Number:

Publication Date:

December 10, 1971

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File:

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CIA-RDP85T00875R001100100154-5.pdf [3]	162.34 KB

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Approved For Release 2008/02/08: CIA-RDP85T00875R001100100154-5 s SECRET OCI No. 2359/71 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Directorate of Intelligence 10 December 1971 INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM Ind'i'a'-P'ak'i's't'an' 'Situ'ation' Report. As o . EST)` M'ilitary' Situat'ion' in' the' East. 1. The _ndian Army claims control of most of the ground east of the Meghna River, but All India Radio has withdrawn an earlier report that Indian forces had crossed the river: and reached Narayanganj,. only five miles' from Dacca. The. reports'say the Indians have crossed the Meghna only near Bhairab Bazar. The Dacca domestic radio station, which went off the air at 2115 EST yesterday '(0815 this morning in Dacca), ;still was not broadcasting at latest re_ port. 2.. In the northwest, advancing Indian forces reportedly have cut off nearly a division of Pakis- tani, troops,-.trapping them in the Dinjapur and Rangpur districts. In the south,' Indian troops moving north from Jessore have reportedly reached the outskirts of Kushtia, on the south bank of the Ganges River. State Dept. review completed 3.' India claims its navy has control o.E approaches to all ports in East-Pakistan,. and that escape of Pakistani naval vess'els'-'is. 'impossible.. Mi'litary' S'i'tuat'ion' in, the, West- 4.' he military situation in the west appears to be bl fting slowly in favor of India. A major battle' i.s 'continuing east of Sialkot as .th,.:::Indians attempt to drive into West Pakistan. The results Approved For Release 2008/02/08: CIA-RDP85T00875RO01100100154-5 65 Approved For Release 2008/02/08: CIA-RDP85T00875RO01100100154-5 SFC:RFT of this offensive are still inconclusive 5. In the Sind area-,,the Indians now aim 2,00 square-miles . of- territory. 6. The Indian Navy apparently has esta:;lished complete control of the western waters. In an extensive naval raid on the night of 3-December,, the'Indians claim to have struck along the 'entire coast of West Pakistan,-including the-port .of Karachi. The Indians-now claim 3 'Pakistani war-, ships, .2 submarines, and 9 gunboats. destroyed since tha conflict began. Accoruing to Admiral Kohli, Commander in Chief of the western fleet,. "the Indian navy - is - in command of ?_. ie high seas and we can go where we want to go." 7 In the air war, the Pakistani air force evidently has 'concentrated its. efforts in the northern sector of the western front in order to give close-support. to the ground forces. This has allowed the Indian air Force to strike h-^.avily against strategic targets in Lahore,. Karachi,, and other areas The Indianz can be expected to shift 2? 011E .-1 Approved For Release 2008/02/08: CIA-RDP85T00875RO01100100154-5 to have advanced some-. `130 miles 'and to. have e Approved For Release 2008/02/08: CIA-RDP85T00875RO01100100154-5 SECRET additional air units to the west from the eastern front, and should eventually establish complete air superiority. India now claims to. have. downed, 73 Pakistani aircraft with 'losses'--of- only 31.- Bombing' of' Non'-mi'litary' Are'as' 'in' D'acca 9. Both the US Consul General-in Dacca and the UN Assistant.-Secretary General -there- a-re- convinced that.the bombing of non-military areas-in-Dacca on the - night .of 9-10 December (and inferentially the bombing of an orphanage 'on the previous night.that reportedly killed .15-0children) was-carried out by a ''akistani ?aircra?t based in Dacca-.--They believe the purpose-of the attacks'-was-to discredit the Indian Air. Force. 10. Evidence-for this conclusion includes the virtual lack of anti-aircraftfire during both, attacks, the' recovery of what appears 'to.be-a make- shift bombrack near the -.scene -'of the-'-latest bombing, and the sound of the -aircraft .engines -which .was markedly different from that of the Indian jets used in previous. attacks. The Assistant -Secretary General-informed-J Thant of his-'conclusions. Approved For Release 2008/02/08: CIA-RDP85T00875RO01100100154-5 Approved For Release 2008/02/08: CIA-RDP85T00875RO01100100154-5 le Next 2 Page(s) In Document Denied Approved For Release 2008/02/08: CIA-RDP85T00875RO01100100154-5