U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that, according to his estimates, five Indian fighter jets were shot down during the recent war between Pakistan and India, as reported by national media.
Speaking to Republican members of Congress at the White House, he said the situation was becoming increasingly serious and there was a risk of nuclear war between the two countries, but he stopped the war.
Trump did not explicitly say that the Indian jets were shot down by Pakistan, but he stated that in reality, five jets were downed, and had timely intervention not taken place, the situation could have worsened.
It is worth noting that this conflict began in April with an attack by unidentified individuals in the Pahalgam area of Indian-administered Kashmir, which resulted in 26 deaths. India, without any evidence, blamed Pakistan for the attack. However, Pakistan rejected the accusation and offered to cooperate in an impartial investigation.
The U.S. condemned the attack but did not support India’s claim of blaming Pakistan. On May 7, India, intoxicated by power, imposed war on Pakistan. In response, Pakistan defended itself vigorously and shot down five Indian Air Force jets, including Rafales.
Although India consistently denied the destruction of these aircraft, President Trump’s recent statement has reinforced the claim that the jets were indeed destroyed.
On the other hand, India claimed that it had also shot down Pakistani jets, but Pakistan clearly stated that India failed to down even a single Pakistani fighter jet and did not present any evidence.
The ceasefire phase came on May 10, when President Trump, after speaking with the leaders of both countries, persuaded both sides to halt the war. He stated that he made it clear that if the war did not stop, the U.S. would end trade with both countries.