Rebuffed Pakistan air aggression but lost MiG, 1 pilot missing in action: India

New Delhi: The Indian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said that India had successfully thwarted Pakistani air aggression across the Line of Control on Wednesday morning but unfortunately lost an MiG 21 and its pilot is missing in action.

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“In the aerial engagement, one Pakistani aircraft was shot down. The aircraft was seen falling on the Pakistani side. Unfortunately we lost an MiG 21 and a pilot is missing in action. Pakistan has claimed he is in their custody. We are ascertaining the facts,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a media meet.

Kumar said after India successfully destroyed a Jaish terror camp in Balakot, Pakistan retaliated with air aggression.

“Pakistan retaliated by targeting military installations in India. We detected their aircraft and the attempts were foiled successfully.”

Kumar, sitting along with Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapur, said Indian forces engaged their jet and brought one down, in the process losing an aircraft and the pilot.

Pakistan has claimed there is a second pilot in its custody. The Indian government is still trying to know about his whereabouts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left an event early to meet top officers, including Nationa; Security Adviser Ajit Doval, defence and foreign secretaries and other intelligence officials.

For a few hours since Wednesday morning, all airports north of Delhi were shut down but the order was lifted in the afternoon.

India had carried out the surgical strikes in the early hours of Tuesday, stating they were 'non-military, preemptive action' to thwart any act of terror on its soil. India had said it had credible intelligence that terrorists were being trained in Balakot's Jaish camp to carry out more attacks in the country.