CNN: The air battle between Pakistan and India has become one of the “largest and longest in modern aviation history”

Author:
Iryna Perepechko
Date:

Both Pakistan and India have reported rising casualties from the strikes. The latter has also denied and denied that Islamabad shot down five of its aircraft. CNN writes that the dogfight between the countries has become one of the "largest and longest in modern aviation history".

CNN and BBC write about this, citing official statements and sources.

The Pakistani military says at least 31 people have been killed and 57 others wounded. Pakistani military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the death toll had risen because of Indian shelling along the Line of Control.

According to him, the Pakistan Air Force was defending itself, which was "a response from our side to their actions".

At the same time, the Indian Army reported that at least 15 civilians were killed and 43 injured due to Pakistani shelling on its side of the de facto border.

Indian officials also reacted for the first time to Islamabadʼs May 7 claim that Pakistan had shot down five Indian aircraft, including three French-made Rafale fighter jets. The Indian embassy in Beijing denied this.

"We recommend that you check the facts and cross-check your sources before spreading such misinformation," the department said.

Meanwhile, a senior French intelligence official confirmed to CNN on condition of anonymity that Pakistan had indeed shot down one French Rafale fighter jet, which was part of the Indian Air Force. This is the first such incident in which one of the modern French-made military aircraft has been lost in combat.

Photos of parts of a plane that crashed in Indian-administered Kashmir show a label from a French manufacturer, CNN reported, but experts said it was impossible to say whether the part came from a Rafale jet.

According to an intelligence official, French authorities are investigating whether Pakistan shot down only one Rafale fighter jet. India has 36 Rafale fighters in its air force, which it purchased from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation.

A senior Pakistani security source has revealed to CNN details of a dogfight with India, in which Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian aircraft.

According to him, 125 fighter jets took part in the air battle, which lasted more than an hour. Neither side left its airspace — in some places they exchanged missiles at a distance of more than 160 kilometers.

This air battle was one of the largest and longest in modern aviation history.

India-Pakistan conflict

On April 22, near the town of Pahalgam, located in the Indian-controlled part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, armed militants opened fire on a group of tourists. 26 people were killed. A previously unknown militant group calling itself the “Kashmir Resistance” claimed responsibility for the attack. India blames Pakistan, which denies the charge.

In response to the killings, New Delhi suspended a key water-sharing agreement with Pakistan, closed the only land border crossing between the countries, reduced the number of diplomatic staff, and canceled all visas issued to Pakistani citizens. Pakistan then canceled visas issued to Indian citizens, closed its airspace to all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India.

On the night of May 7, the Indian Armed Forces launched military operation "Sindoor" and attacked nine targets in Pakistan.

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