Trump takes credit for averting Indo-Pak war, claims 8 jets downed

MIAMI: US President Donald Trump has asserted that eight aircraft were shot down during the Pakistan-India conflict, a claim that has reignited debate over the scale of hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Addressing a business forum in Miami, Trump said he had read in some newspapers that seven or eight planes were downed during the war. “One newspaper reported that seven aircraft were shot down, another mentioned losses on one side — I won’t name them, most of them give fake news,” he remarked.

Trump went on to assert that, in reality, eight aircraft were downed during the conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations.

He once again took credit for mediating peace, claiming that the war between Pakistan and India was halted “with the help of tariffs.”