India says six Pakistani aircraft shot down during May conflict

Air unit main Amar Preet Singh says India’s S-400 aerial defence systems took down astir of the Pakistani planes.

India changeable down 5 Pakistani combatant jets and 1 different subject craft during warring successful May, India’s aerial unit main says, the archetypal specified connection from the state since the deadly struggle with its neighbour.

Air unit main Amar Preet Singh made the announcement connected Saturday, weeks aft India’s subject acknowledged that an unspecified fig of its ain jets were besides changeable down by Pakistan during their heaviest warring successful decades. It progressive combatant planes and cruise missiles and killed dozens of people.

The struggle was triggered aft equipped men killed 26 tourists successful India-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam municipality connected April 22.

Speaking astatine a subject lecture successful the confederate metropolis of Bengaluru connected Saturday, Singh said India’s S-400 aerial defence systems took down astir of the Pakistani aircraft.

“We person astatine slightest 5 fighters confirmed killed and 1 ample aircraft,” helium said, adding that the ample aircraft, which could person been a surveillance plane, was changeable down astatine a region of 300km (186 miles).

“This is really the largest ever recorded surface-to-air termination that we tin speech about. Our aerial defence systems person done a fantastic job,” helium was quoted arsenic saying by respective Indian media outlets.

Air Chief Marshal Staff Singh did not notation the benignant of combatant jets that were downed but said aerial strikes besides deed an further surveillance level and “a fewer F-16” fighters that were parked successful hangars astatine 2 airbases successful southeastern Pakistan.

Half of the F-16 hangar astatine the Shahbaz Jacobabad airbase successful Sindh state was destroyed, helium said.

Islamabad, whose aerial unit chiefly operates Chinese-made jets and US F-16s, has antecedently denied that India downed immoderate Pakistani craft during the May 7-10 warring betwixt the nuclear-armed neighbours.

There was nary contiguous absorption to Singh’s statements from Pakistan.

During their conflict, Pakistan said it downed six Indian subject jets, including astatine slightest 3 Rafale fighters – a assertion 1 Indian subject authoritative described arsenic “absolutely incorrect”.

Both India and Pakistan assertion Kashmir successful afloat but administer lone parts of the Muslim-majority Himalayan territory, which has been a continuing root of hostility betwixt them.

Armed groups successful the India-administered information of Kashmir person been warring New Delhi’s regularisation since 1989.

India accuses Pakistan of backing immoderate equipped groups, but Islamabad says it provides lone diplomatic enactment to the Kashmiris’ conflict for self-determination.

Since India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire successful May, intermittent warring has continued successful the country betwixt Indian troops and fighters.

On Saturday, Indian officials said 2 Indian soldiers and a suspected combatant were reported killed precocious connected Friday successful the India-administered Kashmir territory of Kulgam.

According to Indian subject officials, 2 soldiers were besides injured.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies