India says it shot down 6 Pakistani aircraft during May hostilities

Three months after cross-border clashes with Islamabad in May, Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh Saturday claimed New Delhi had shot down six Pakistani aircraft, including five fighter jets, during the four-day hostilities.

Singh was addressing the annual 16th Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Lecture in southern Bengaluru city, according to the local broadcaster NDTV.

He added that the Pakistani Air Force also suffered losses on the ground in the aerial strikes at Pakistan's airbases.

There was no immediate reaction from Pakistan to the claims made by the Indian side about the cross-border clashes which ended in a ceasefire mediated by the US on May 10.

When India launched the cross-border attacks during the night of May 6 and 7, Pakistan said it downed six Indian planes, including three French-made Rafales.

Gen. Anil Chauhan, India's chief of defense staff, later confirmed that some Indian aircraft were shot down, without specifying the numbers.

The fighting between the two Southeast Asian neighbors was triggered by the April 22 attack at the Pahalgam tourist resort in the Indian-administered Kashmir.

New Delhi blamed the attack on Islamabad, which denied responsibility and called for a neutral investigation.

After an exchange of attacks between the two countries, US President Donald Trump announced the truce on May 10.