Trump on the May India-Pakistan Conflict: I Actually Think Five Aircraft Were Shot Down
US President Trump mentioned during an event on Friday that up to five aircraft were shot down during the India-Pakistan conflict in May. This hostile action began after an Islamic militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April, and the situation eased after the India-Pakistan ceasefire in May.
Trump made these remarks during a dinner with some Republican senators at the White House, but he did not specify which side's aircraft were involved.
When talking about the India-Pakistan hostilities in May, Trump said, "Actually, planes were shot down. Five, five, four, or five, but I think actually five aircraft were shot down." However, he did not provide details or further information.
Pakistan claimed that it shot down five Indian aircraft in the air battle. General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff of India, confirmed in an interview with Bloomberg in late May that at least one Indian aircraft was lost.
Rawat also said that after suffering aerial losses on the first day of the hostilities, the Indian military changed its tactics and established an advantage before declaring a ceasefire three days later. India also claimed to have shot down several Pakistani aircraft. Pakistan denied losing any aircraft, but admitted that its airbases were attacked.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that after talks between the US and India and Pakistan, he announced the ceasefire on May 10 on social media, and that this achievement was due to his efforts. However, India does not agree with Trump's claim that the India-Pakistan ceasefire was the result of his intervention and threat to disrupt trade negotiations.
India's position has always been that New Delhi and Islamabad must directly resolve their issues without any external interference. In Washington's efforts to counter China's expansion of influence in Asia, India has become an increasingly important partner for the US, while US-Pakistan relations have been long-term and close since the Cold War.
In April this year, an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people and triggered intense fighting between the two nuclear-armed Asian neighbors, marking the latest escalation in the decades-long India-Pakistan confrontation. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the attack, but Pakistan denied responsibility and called for a neutral investigation.
Washington condemned the attack but did not directly accuse Islamabad. On May 7, Indian jets bombed locations in the India-Pakistan border area called by New Delhi as "terrorist infrastructure," triggering exchanges of fire between the two countries' fighter jets, missiles, drones, and artillery, resulting in dozens of deaths until a ceasefire agreement was reached.
Source: rfi
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838071718907908/
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