Indian Military Official Acknowledges Loss of Fighter Jets in Clash with Pakistan
According to a Bloomberg report, an Indian government or military official has for the first time acknowledged the loss of fighter jets during a recent conflict with Pakistan.
Indian Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan, in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Saturday during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, stated, “What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were down.”
Pakistani media outlet *Dawn* had claimed that Pakistan shot down six Indian fighter jets, including three advanced French-made Rafale aircraft.
However, Chauhan dismissed Pakistan’s claim of downing six Indian jets as “absolutely incorrect,” though he did not specify the exact number of losses on India’s side.
“Numbers are not important. What matters is why they were down, what mistakes were made,” Chauhan was quoted as saying in the report.
Bloomberg described his remarks as “the most direct yet from an Indian government or military official regarding the fate of the country’s fighter jets during the conflict with Pakistan that erupted on May 7.”
Chauhan added, “The good part is that we were able to identify the tactical mistakes, rectify them, and resume operations within two days, successfully conducting long-range missions.”
When asked about U.S. President’s claim that the U.S. helped prevent a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, Chauhan declined to comment, calling the suggestion “far-fetched” and denying that either side was close to using nuclear weapons.
