Were Mumbai attacks an Al-Quaida attempt to remove Pakistani troops from Afghanistan border?

Last week's terrorist attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai bear all the hallmarks of a classic Al-Quaida attack. They were multiple attacks within a short window of time in a heavily populated area.

But was carnage the end goal of the attacks? Or was it something more sinister - or even more tactical for Al-Quaida?

McCaltchey newspapers are reporting that Pakistan is warning it will shift tens of thousands of troops away from the Afghanistan border - an area heavily populated by militant islamists - to the border with India. Since Pakistan's creation in 1947, it's had a shall we say, tenuous history with it's mother land of India, particularly over the province of Kashmir.

Since last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Indian officials, and a captured terrorist, have pointed fingers at Pakistan as the culprit behind the attacks. India has blamed Lashkar-e-Toiba, a terrorist group based in Pakistan, and with past links to Pakistan's intelligence service, for the Mumbai atrocities.

"They can say what they want, but we have no doubt that the terrorists had come from Pakistan,” said Sriprakash Jaiswal, India's deputy home affairs minister, on Sunday. “Our intelligence will be increased to a war level, we are asking the state governments to increase security to a war level.”

War tensions between these two nuclear powered foes is at a new level following the attacks and accusations. But the removal of troops from the Afghani border certainly benefits Al-Quaida. It means that less troops will be looking for Islamic militants in the Pakistani wild-lands and gives the terrorist organization responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States some breathing room in that area - especially since Pakistan will not allow US troops within its borders to hunt for Osama bin-Laden.

While the world watches the tension mount between Pakistan and India, Al-Quaida is breathing a bit easier.