Donald Trump has claimed that up to five fighter jets were shot down during the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan.
The nuclear-powered neighbours stepped back from the brink of all-out war in May following their worst military escalation in decades which saw dozens of people killed in cross-border shelling as well as drone and missile attacks on both sides.
Mr Trump, who has repeatedly claimed credit for brokering the ceasefire that ended the conflict after four days, made the remarks at a dinner with some Republican lawmakers at the White House, without clarifying which side’s planes he meant.
“In fact, planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets were shot down actually," Mr Trump said while talking about the conflict.
India confirmed for the first time on 31 May that it had lost jets during the conflict but refused to clarify their number or nature.
India switched tactics after suffering losses in the air on the first day of hostilities and established an advantage before a ceasefire was announced, General Anil Chauhan, the country’s chief of defence staff, said.
After the conflict broke out in May, both Pakistan and India claimed to have downed each other’s fighter jets in a dogfight that reportedly involved over 125 aircraft, making it the largest aerial battle since the Second World War.
Pakistan claimed it had shot down five Indian aircraft in air-to-air combat, including the French Rafale. India said it had downed “a few planes”, a claim that was refuted by Islamabad, even though the country acknowledged its air bases had suffered hits.
Mr Trump has claimed credit over 60 times for the ceasefire that he announced on social media on May 10 after Washington held talks with both India and Pakistan.
India has contested the US president’s claim that the truce resulted from his intervention and his threat to sever trade ties if the two countries continued fighting.
India has insisted that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve their problems directly and with no outside involvement.
The conflict broke out after India attacked alleged militant camps in Pakistan to avenge the deaths of 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, killed in a terror attack in the Indian part of Kashmir on 22 April.
New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing the gunmen who carried out the massacre in the restive Himalayan valley. Islamabad denied the charge and sought an independent investigation.
The Indian strikes escalated the tensions into a military conflict as the two sides exchanged fire along their de facto border in Kashmir as well as missile and drone strikes on military installations. Washington condemned the 22 April attack, but did not directly blame Islamabad.
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