WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday once again claimed credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during their 2019 military confrontation, while revising his account of the number of aircraft destroyed.
Trump said seven jets were shot down during the clashes, an increase from his previous statement last month when he claimed that five planes were downed as “two serious nuclear countries” exchanged fire.
As in his earlier remarks, Trump did not specify whether the jets were Indian or Pakistani. Instead, he framed the episode as part of his efforts to avert a nuclear conflict.
“The war with India and Pakistan was the next level that was going to be a nuclear war… They already shot down seven jets that was raging. I gave them 24 hours to stop or there would be no trade with the U.S.,” Trump said at a rally, adding that the pressure led both sides to step back.
His fresh comments follow recent confirmation from Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who stated that India had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, a mission targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. According to Singh, the aircraft were destroyed by India’s S-400 air defence systems, marking the “largest ever surface-to-air kill recorded.” He also confirmed the destruction of a Pakistani Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft in the same operation.
Trump has repeatedly tied the India-Pakistan ceasefire of May 10 to his own intervention, claiming that threats to suspend U.S. trade compelled both nations to halt hostilities. His statements, however, have often lacked clarity on operational details and have been received cautiously in both New Delhi and Islamabad.
While India has consistently maintained that it successfully neutralised Pakistani jets and forced de-escalation, Pakistan has contested those figures, claiming losses on the Indian side as well. Trump’s latest remarks are therefore expected to reignite debate over contested versions of the conflict.
-WNN Desk
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