India-Pakistan Conflict: Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations (DGAO), said on Sunday that India achieved its objectives during ‘Operation Sindoor’ launched on Pakistan after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, on 22 April, in Jammu and Kashmir.
Air Marshal Bharti, responding to reports carried in international media, about Rafale fighter jet downed during Operation Sindoor, neither denied not confirmed the claims. He, instead, said that “losses are a part of any combat scenario.”
“We are in a combat scenario and losses are a part of it. Question is have we achieved our objective? Answer is a thumping yes. As for details, at this time I would not like to comment on that as we are still in combat and give advantage to adversary. All our pilots are back home,” Air Marshal Bharti said when a journalist asked him about reports regarding Rafale jets.
Air Marshal Bharti was speaking during a press conference of three Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) on Saturday, a day after India and Pakistan agreed on an ‘understanding’ to halt firing and military actions.
What did the international media say?
UK-based news agency Reuters had recently carried a report in which it quoted two US officials saying that a top Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday. The report quoted another official saying that at least one Indian jet that was shot down was a French-made Rafale fighter aircraft.
The Rafale is a twin-engine multi-mission fighter aircraft manufactured by the French aerospace company Dassault Aviation. India operates these fighter jets.
On the moring of 7 May, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ and destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan andPakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The strike by India came two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack..
Losses are a part of any combat scenario.
The DGMOs said on Sunday that Pakistan Army has reported to have lost approximately 35 to 40 personnel in artillery and small arms firing on the Line of Control between May 7 and May 10.
