Pakistan has said their forces shot down five Indian fighter jets on Wednesday morning amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. While India has not yet issued an official response, BBC Verify has authenticated multiple videos that appear to support parts of Pakistan’s claim.
One verified video shows what appears to be wreckage from a French-manufactured Rafale fighter jet — part of the Indian Air Force fleet — scattered in a field near Bathinda, in India’s Punjab state. In the clip, geolocated by BBC Verify, Indian troops are seen collecting debris from the crash site.
Two additional night-time videos from the same area have also been verified. One shows burning debris in a field, while another captures a projectile streaking across the sky before igniting on impact. Analysts believe the footage lends credibility to reports of an aerial confrontation.
Justin Crump, a former British Army officer and current CEO of risk intelligence firm Sibylline, told BBC Verify that the debris shown in the videos resembles a French-made air-to-air missile commonly deployed on both Mirage 2000 and Rafale jets.
An image circulating on social media further corroborates the claim, showing a tail fin bearing the markings "BS001" and "Rafale". A reverse image search conducted by BBC Verify found no evidence that the image had appeared online previously, suggesting it is not recycled material.
The Indian government has yet to confirm or deny the incident, and no official casualty or equipment loss figures have been released. The situation remains tense, and both nations face increasing international pressure to de-escalate.
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