By Our Correspondent

 

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said 11 “very expensive” fighter jets were shot down during last year’s conflict between India and Pakistan, crediting his intervention and trade pressure for preventing a wider war between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

 

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, Trump thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for attending and praised Pakistan’s military leadership.

 

“There was some fighting going on… your Field Marshal general, great, great general… a tough man, a good fighter,” Trump said, adding that he likes “good fighters.”

 

Trump claimed he directly intervened by warning both Islamabad and New Delhi that the United States would halt trade negotiations and impose 200% tariffs if hostilities continued.

 

“If you fight, I’m going to put 200% tariffs on each of your countries,” he said, adding that both sides eventually agreed to step back after realizing the economic cost.

“That war was raging. Planes were being shot down… 11 jets were shot down, very expensive jets,” Trump said. “They were all in. Both of them were all in, and now they’re not.”

 

He said his mediation may have saved “25 million lives.”

 

However, analysts say Trump’s repeated public references to downed Indian aircraft -- and the steadily rising number -- are apparently an embarrassment for PM Modi as he doesn't like to hear anyone talk about jets being downed by Pakistan during the May last year war.

 

Trump had initially mentioned six jets last year, a figure broadly aligned with Pakistan’s earlier claim that it shot down six to seven Indian fighter jets, including four Rafale aircraft.

 

Some observers suggest the remarks risk embarrassing Modi domestically and internationally, particularly as India has not acknowledged such losses, as New Delhi has consistently avoided confirming specific aircraft losses during the conflict.

 

Trump, however, maintained that his firm stance and economic leverage quickly de-escalated the crisis, saying the deal was resolved within “two or three days” and helped avert a potentially catastrophic confrontation between the two nuclear powers.