New Delhi – Saba:
The Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces, Anil Chauhan, has admitted that Pakistan shot down Indian fighter jets during the recent military confrontation between the two countries, which erupted on May 7.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Saturday, Chauhan said, "What matters is not the shooting down of the plane, but the reason for shooting it down."
The Indian official attributed Pakistan's downing of the Indian fighter jets to "tactical errors" in piloting, adding, "The good thing is that we were able to understand the tactical error we made and correct it."
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif announced that his country had shot down five Indian fighter jets. The Pakistani military later announced that it had shot down more than 25 Indian- and Israeli-made Harop drones in several areas, including Lahore and Karachi.
On May 7, India launched missiles targeting what it described as "militant camps." New Delhi accused the group of opening fire on a tourist site in Indian-administered Kashmir, with support from Islamabad, inside Pakistani territory. Pakistan responded with counter-strikes.
On May 10, US President Donald Trump announced that the warring parties had reached a ceasefire, brokered by his country.
India and Pakistan agreed to gradually withdraw troops from the border by the end of May.
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