India has for the first time confirmed that it lost fighter jets during the four-day military clash with Pakistan earlier this month, though without revealing the exact number.
Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan made the statement during an interview with Bloomberg TV while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. His remarks marked the most direct acknowledgment yet from the Indian military regarding the aerial losses.
“What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” Chauhan said when asked about the aircraft. While he rejected Pakistan’s claim of shooting down six Indian jets as “absolutely incorrect,” he declined to specify the number of jets India lost.
“Why they were down, what mistakes were made — that are important,” he added. “Numbers are not important.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Wednesday that Pakistan’s Air Force shot down six Indian fighter jets, including four French-made Rafale aircraft, during the recent escalation with India.
Speaking at an event in Lachin city to mark Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, Sharif stated that the Indian jets were brought down on the opening night of the conflict, which began between May 6 and 7.
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