India confirms downing of MiG 21 in today’s engagement with Pakistani fighter jets

AVA- “India had informed about Counter Terrorism (CT) action it took yesterday against a training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed (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 External Affairs Ministry of India said in a statement.
The statement further added “The Pakistan Air Force was detected and the Indian Air Force responded instantly. In that aerial engagement, one Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft was shot down by a MiG 21 Bison of the Indian Air Force.”
“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,” the statement added.
In the meantime, the Pakistani officials have said the pilot of the downed fighter jet is in custody of the security forces of Pakistan.
This comes as the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes inside the Pakistani soil in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The attack followed almost 12 days after a suicide attack left more than 40 Indian soldiers dead in Pulwama of Kashmir.