Pakistan claims to have downed 5 Indian jets

The Pakistani Air Force has downed five Indian Air Force jets following missile strikes by India, Anadolu Ajansı reported quoting Pakistan’s defense chief early Wednesday (May 7).

“The Pakistan Air Force has shot down at least five Indian fighter jets in response to India’s recent cross-border aggression,” Defense Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed to private broadcaster Geo TV.

Earlier, military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed downing two aircraft of the Indian Air Force, according to CNN.

“There are other reports of multiple damage that Pakistani forces, both on the ground and air, have inflicted. But I can confirm to you that at least two aircraft of the Indian Air Force have been downed,” Chaudhry added.

There was no immediate reaction from Indian authorities to Pakistani state media reports about the downing of the jets.

Earlier, India launched missile attacks targeting several cities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Military spokesperson Chaudhry said India had fired missiles on the cities of Bahawalpur, Muridke, Bagh, Muzaffarabad and Kotli from its air space.

He confirmed that at least eight people were killed and 35 injured while two others were missing.

He said India targeted six places.

According to Pakistani security sources, the downed Indian aircraft were targeted “while attempting to strike Pakistan using Indian airspace.”

They included three Rafale jets, a MiG-29, and one SU-30, the sources added.

Along the Line of Control, which divides the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region into two, the rival armies continued cross-border fire.

The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors comes in the wake of an April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 people were killed.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack, claiming there were cross-border links. Pakistan denied that it had anything to do with the killings.

Amid the military escalation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistani and Indian national security advisers.