NEW DELHI, Jun 1 (NNN-PTI) – The Indian military, yesterday, confirmed for the first time that, it lost fighter jets during the clash with Pakistan earlier this month.
The confirmation was made by India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Anil Chauhan, in an interview with foreign media in Singapore, Indian media reported. However, Chauhan did not specify the number of fighter jets that India lost.
“I think what is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” Chauhan told Bloomberg TV. “The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again, after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range.”
Chauhan was in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence and security summit.
The Indian CDS described Pakistan’s estimate that it shot down six Indian warplanes as “absolutely incorrect,” but declined to give the specific number of jets India lost.
India and Pakistan earlier this month targeted each other using fighter jets, missiles, drones and fierce shelling, in the frontier areas close to the International Border and Line of Control, dividing Kashmir.
The two neighbours also attacked each other’s military air bases during the skirmishes, thus flaring tensions to enormous levels.
Following four days of intense firing, the two neighbours agreed to end military actions and observe a ceasefire, which is currently in place.– NNN-PTI
