India misled the world as it never shot down Pakistani F-16: US officials

The United States of America has dismissed India's claim that it shot down Pakistan's F-16 during a brief dog fight between the two neighbors earlier this year in February.

Two senior US defence officials suggested to US Magazine Foreign Policy that Indian authorities may have misled the international community about what happened on February 27. The US defence officials with direct knowledge of the situation said that US personnel had recently counted F-16s in Pakistan and found none missing.

The officials further said that these findings by the US personnel contradict the Indian Air Force (IAF) officials' account of the event. The IAF claimed that their Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistani F-16 before the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot the commander's plane.

After the Pulwama attack took place in Indian occupied Kashmir, India violated Pakistan's airspace twice after accusing Pakistan for the incident. On India's second attempt to violate Pakistan's airspace, the PAF shot down two of IAF's fighter jets and also captured the pilot. The pilot Abhinandan was, however, returned to India as a peace gesture by Prime Minister Imran Khan.