The Washington Post has verified that at least two Indian Air Force jets, including one of its most advanced, were downed during Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes on Wednesday.
According to the report, The Post analyzed visual evidence from more than a dozen images and videos posted online in the aftermath of the attacks on sites in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
The review confirmed debris consistent with two French-made Indian fighter jets — a Rafale and a Mirage 2000.
“In a review of more than a dozen images and videos posted online in the aftermath of the strikes, The Post verified debris consistent with at least two French-made fighter jets flown by the Indian Air Force — a Rafale and a Mirage 2000,” the newspaper stated.
Analysis of the visual evidence of the Indian plane wreckage shared by the Washington PostCourtesy: The Washington Post
The report cited analysis from Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal technician; Etienne Marcuz, an associate fellow at France’s Foundation for Strategic Research; and a French airpower expert who spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to speak publicly.
The experts did not determine whether the jets were shot down or crashed due to other causes.
"The fate of the pilots was also unclear," The Post added.
According to The Post the photo taken in Wuyan, a village in Indian-administered Kashmir about 80 miles from the Pakistani border, showed what all three experts agreed was an external fuel tank belonging to a Mirage 2000.Courtesy: The Washington Post
One of the images reviewed showed the word “Rafale” stenciled in white on a jet’s vertical stabilizer, along with the code “BS 001” and an Indian flag.
According to the report, these markings matched those seen in publicly available photos of an Indian Rafale fighter jet posted online in 2021.
Pakistan accuses India
The spokesperson for Pakistan’s armed forces addressed on Friday international journalists, strongly rejecting India’s accusations linking Pakistan to the recent attack in Pahalgam and raising questions over India’s internal security failures.
Joined by senior officials from the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan would protect its sovereignty and dignity at all costs.
“India immediately blamed Pakistan without presenting any credible evidence,” he said, referring to the deadly incident in Pahalgam last month.
The remarks came as tensions soared between the rival nations. Pakistan’s state media reported that the country had intercepted and destroyed 77 Indian drones over the past two days.
India, on the other hand, claimed it had shot down two Pakistani fighter jets in a retaliatory operation — a claim Islamabad has strongly denied.
On the latest escalation, the military spokesperson said: “We are only targeting Indian military posts along the Line of Control. We are exercising great caution because the Pakistani state, its people, and armed forces do not believe in targeting innocent civilians. Neither our religion nor our moral values permit it.”
He said Pakistan has so far taken down 77 drones sent by India.
The latest round of hostilities was triggered by a deadly April 22 attack in Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, where 26 Indian tourists were killed by unknown gunmen.
India blamed Pakistan for the attack, while Islamabad denied any involvement and called for an impartial investigation.
On Wednesday, India said it struck nine “terrorist camps” in Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam attack.
Pakistan denied the presence of militant sites, saying 31 civilians were killed. It also claimed to have shot down five Indian jets.
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