US President Donald Trump said on Friday that up to five fighter jets were shot down during the recent military flare-up between India and Pakistan, which erupted after an April militant attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Trump’s remarks came during a dinner with some Republican US lawmakers at the White House where he further reiterated that tensions between the two countries eased only after a ceasefire was reached in May.
“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 while talking about the Pakistan-India hostilities, without elaborating or providing further detail.
Pakistan claimed it had downed six Indian planes in air-to-air combat. India’s highest-ranking general said in late May that India switched tactics after suffering losses in the air on the first day of hostilities and established an advantage before a ceasefire was announced three days later.
Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for the ceasefire between India and Pakistan that he announced on social media on May 10 after Washington held talks with both sides.
India has differed with Trump’s claims that it resulted from his intervention and his threats to sever trade talks.
India’s position has been that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve their problems directly and with no outside involvement.
The April attack in IIOJK killed 26 men and sparked heavy fighting between the nuclear-armed Asian neighbours in the latest escalation of a decades-old rivalry.
New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which Islamabad has vehemently denied responsibility while calling for a neutral investigation.
On May 7, Indian jets bombed multiple sites in Pakistan, setting off an exchange of attacks between the two countries by fighter jets, missiles, drones, and artillery that killed dozens until the ceasefire was reached.
