PTI

Jodhpur, Nov 28: India today said preliminary information suggested that "some elements" in Pakistan were responsible for the terror strikes in Mumbai.

New Delhi is expected to take up the matter with Islamabad when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari later in the day.

"According to preliminary information, some elements in Pakistan are responsible for Mumbai terror attacks," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here.

"Proof cannot be disclosed at this time," he said, noting that Pakistan had assured India that it will not allow use of its territory for launching attacks against this country.

Pakistan had given this assurance at a meeting Singh and Zardari had on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly session on September 24.

In an address to the nation, the Prime Minister had yesterday blamed elements outside the country for the terror strikes in Mumbai and warned that India will not tolerate the use of territory of its neighbours for attacks in the country.

India will take up "strongly with our neighbours that the use of their territory for launching attacks on us will not be tolerated, and that there would be a cost if suitable measures are not taken by them."

Singh had said the "well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of panic by choosing high profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners."

Meanwhile the security operations continued at the Oberoi Trident Hotel - one of the 10 places attacked by terrorists in Mumbai. "It would be completed soon even as firing is still on at another five star hotel,"Maharashtra Chief MinisterVilasrao Desmukh said on Friday afternoon.

“The difficult operation at the Oberoi is completed and we believe that the entire operation would be completed in the next one or two hours (2 p.m.),” Deshmukh told reporters outside the hotel.

“There could be some injured or dead bodies inside the Trident hotel and we are in the process of clearing it,” said Deshmukh, who was accompanied by his cabinet ministers.

The chief minister said operations at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel were on in full swing. "There is one terrorist still holed up there and we would soon clear it also,” he added.

"It is just a matter of a few hours before we will be able to wrap up things," Southern Command Chief Lt Gen Noble Thamburaj told reporters a little before noon outside Taj hotel as 35 hostages, including foreigners and a six-month old infant, were successfully rescued from Trident.

The new building of Taj hotel has been totally flushed out and cleared and handed over to police, he said adding that one terrrorist, possibly two, had moved into the adjacent old heritage building.

"We have heard the sound of a woman and a man, giving indications that they are being held hostage," Thamburaj said but added that almost all guests and staff in the hotel have been evacuated.

He conceded that the there were some casualties among the NSG commandos but would not disclose their numbers and whether they were fatal or otherwise saying that operational details would affect the "mental makeup" of terrorists.

Thamburaj said that operations had to be "deliberate and slow" to ensure the safety of the hostages, guests and hotel staff. The commandos had been told not to rush things under the "pressure of media or citizens".

He said some rooms in Taj are still bolted from inside and people inside are not responding, probably they are scared. "As soon as communication and room services are restored, we will inform them about the situation and ask them to come out".