News Brief
Trump Claims 5 Jets Were Downed During India-Pakistan Clash In May, Doesn’t Specify Whose
US President Donald Trump (File Photo)
US President Donald Trump has claimed that 4–5 fighter jets were downed during the May hostilities between India and Pakistan, while reiterating that his administration brokered the ceasefire using trade leverage, India Today reported.
Speaking at a White House dinner with Republican lawmakers, Trump did not clarify whether the downed jets were Indian or Pakistani.
"In fact, planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets were shot down actually," Trump said.
Following the 10 May ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan, IAF Air Marshal AK Bharti said India had brought down several “high-tech” Pakistani fighter jets, though he did not provide a count.
However, Pakistan downplayed India's claim, saying only one aircraft of the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) suffered "minor damage".
Pakistan also claimed to have shot down six Indian jets, including Rafales. However, the Pakistani military has failed to provide any evidence to back its claim.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has also dismissed Pakistan's claim even though he admitted that an unspecified number of fighter jets were downed during the hostilities.
In the early phase of the strike, Indian forces only targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and refrained from targeting Pakistani military assets.
At the same event, Trump reiterated that his administration averted a full-blown war between India and Pakistan, claiming it was achieved “through trade.”
This claim stands in contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s phone conversation with Trump, during which he clarified that the US had no part in mediating the ceasefire and trade was not discussed.
"We have stopped a lot of wars. And these were serious wars. India and Pakistan were going at it, and they were back and forth, and it was getting bigger and bigger, and we got it solved through trade," Trump said.
