New York/Washington, Jul 19: Former US President Donald Trump has reiterated his controversial claim that five jets were shot down during the May conflict between India and Pakistan, once again asserting that his intervention played a decisive role in halting escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Speaking at a White House dinner for Republican senators, Trump said, “Planes were being shot out of the air—four or five. That was getting worse and worse.” He suggested that his administration leveraged trade talks to bring the situation under control, saying, “We’re not making a trade deal if you’re throwing around weapons and maybe nuclear weapons.”
Trump did not clarify whether the downed jets were Indian or Pakistani or represent combined losses. The Indian government has consistently rejected any claims of foreign mediation, maintaining that the de-escalation came through direct communication between military leaders on both sides following India’s counter-terror strikes under Operation Sindoor on May 7.
India launched the operation in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba. The subsequent clashes lasted four days and concluded with a mutual understanding to halt military operations on May 10.
The controversy around Trump’s comments resurfaces just as the US formally designated The Resistance Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The decision was welcomed by New Delhi as a firm step in countering Pakistan-backed terror infrastructure.
Trump, reflecting on his administration’s foreign policy legacy, claimed, “We stopped a lot of wars… and these were serious wars,” placing his role in the India-Pakistan standoff among his achievements.
Trump Claims Five Jets Downed in India-Pakistan Conflict, Credits US Intervention
