India's armed forces were on high alert Monday and additional security was deployed at US facilities following the US-led military strikes in Afghanistan.
The heightened nationwide security came amid violent anti-American protests in the Muslim-majority state of Kashmir where people stoned taxis and chanted slogans such as "Long Live Taliban".
But shortly after the strikes began, India reiterated it supported the US military action. "India at the outset had expressed its strong solidarity and support for action contemplated by the US," a foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
The comments came as six Japanese military aircraft carrying relief supplies for Afghan refugees refueled amid unprecedented security in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta before flying onto the Pakistani city of Quetta, officials said.
The Hercules C-130 aircraft carrying clothes, food and medicines began flying out at around 11:45 am Monday (0645 GMT) as Indian armed forces said they were on heightened alert across the country including along its militarized borders with neighbor and rival Pakistan.
"We are prepared for every contingency... whenever you are caught off-guard, nasty things happen," Indian Air Force chief Amal Yashwant Tipnis told reporters.
"There are various contingencies in place. We have our combat evaluation plans in place. I will leave it at that," he said.
The military at the last minute cancelled air exercises involving 60 airplanes which were due to take place Monday, but Air force sources said India's air defence, aerial surveillance and air patrols had increased since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Officials said the port city of Bombay -- which houses a strategic naval headquarters -- was also on alert, adding that Indian warships were ready to sail out into the Arabian Sea.
India has made an open offer to provide logistical support to US operations, but New Delhi on Monday said Washington had not used Indian airspace during the overnight raids on several cities in Afghanistan.
"As far as I know, in the first wave of attacks neither our airspace was used, nor was any request received for refueling or landing facilities," India's junior foreign minister Omar Abdullah said.
"However, if such requests are received we will be happy to consider them," he added.
"We have right from the beginning committed our support to any action that the international coalition against terrorism takes to neutralize the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden and their supporters in Afghanistan," Abdullah said.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is set to hold a meeting of his security cabinet later Monday.
Meanwhile, flagship carrier Air India announced it was re-routing passenger flights which usually fly over Pakistan.
"We have re-routed some of our west-bound flights as of this morning," Air India spokesman Jyotindra Bhargava told AFP, adding that flights from India to the Gulf were taking longer routes to skirt Pakistan -- NEW DELHI (AFP)
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