New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) Following is the text of the statement made by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Wednesday:
“India had informed about counter-terrorism action yesterday against a terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Pakistan based on credible evidence that JeM intended to launch more attacks.
“Against this counter-terrorism action, Pakistan has responded this morning by using its air force to target military installations on the Indian side.
“Due to our high state of readiness and alertness, Pakistan’s attempts were foiled successfully.
“The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was detected and the Indian Air Force (IAF) responded instantly. In the aerial engagement, one PAF fighter aircraft was shot down by a MIG 21 Bison of the IAF.
“The Pakistani aircraft was seen by ground forces falling from the sky on the Pakistan side. In this engagement, we have unfortunately lost one MIG 21. The pilot is missing in action. Pakistan has claimed that he is in their custody. We are ascertaining the facts.”
–IANS
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