The Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces, General Anil Chauhan, confirmed the loss of fighter jets by the republic during the conflict with Pakistan from May 7 to 10.
“The important thing is not that the planes crashed, but why they crashed“, Chauhan told Bloomberg in an interview, calling Pakistan's claims that its military shot down six Indian military aircraft, “absolutely false“.
At the same time, the general refused to specify how many planes India lost. “Why they went down, what mistakes were made - that is important”, he noted. “The numbers are not important“, Chauhan added.
The Indian government has previously declined to comment on whether the country has lost any aircraft in the fighting.
India-Pakistan relations have deteriorated since the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam (in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir). On the night of May 7, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor, striking nine terrorist-linked targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan retaliated. On May 10, the sides agreed to a ceasefire and are considering reducing the number of troops on the border.