Five jets shot down during India-Pakistan conflict, claims Trump
New York/Washington(PTI): In a fresh claim, US President Donald Trump said "five jets were shot down" during the conflict between India and Pakistan in May and repeated his assertion that the fighting ended following his intervention.
The US president did not specify whether the jets were lost by either of the two countries or whether he was referring to combined losses by both sides.
In virtually rejecting Trump's claim of ending the conflict, New Delhi has been maintaining that the two sides halted their military actions following direct talks between their militaries without any mediation by the US.
Speaking at the White House during a dinner he hosted for Republican senators on Friday, Trump said: "You had India, Pakistan, that was going… in fact, planes were being shot out of the air...four or five. But I think five jets were shot down actually…that was getting worse and worse, wasn't it?
"That was looking like it was going to go, these are two serious nuclear countries, and they were hitting each other," he said.
“But India and Pakistan were going at it, and they were back and forth, and it was getting bigger and bigger. And we got it solved through trade. We said ‘You guys want to make a trade deal. We're not making a trade deal if you're going to be throwing around weapons and maybe nuclear weapons. Both very powerful nuclear states,” Trump said.
He said his administration achieved more in six months than almost any other administration could accomplish in eight years.
"Something I'm very proud of, we stopped a lot of wars, a lot of wars. And these were serious wars,” Trump said.
Since May 10, Trump has repeated his claim several times on various occasions that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan and that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America will do a “lot of trade” with them if they stopped the conflict.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a front for Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility.
The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.
The US on Thursday designated The Resistance Front as a foreign terrorist organisation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the Department of State is adding The Resistance Front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
India welcomed the US decision to designate TRF as a designated FTO and SDGT.
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Indian student dies after suffering severe injuries in house fire in US
New York (PTI): A 24-year-old Indian student in the US has died after suffering severe injuries in a house fire, according to the Indian mission here.
Sahaja Reddy Udumala was pursuing a Master’s degree in Albany, New York.
The Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X on Friday (local time) that it is “deeply saddened by the untimely demise” of Udumala, who lost her life in the house fire incident in Albany.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences to her family during this difficult time,” the Consulate said, adding that it is in touch with Udumala’s family and is extending all possible assistance.
The Albany Police Department said in a statement that its personnel and the Albany Fire Department responded to the house fire on the morning of December 4.
When they arrived at the scene, officers and firefighters found the residence fully engulfed in flames and learned that several individuals were still inside the home.
They were able to locate four adult victims inside the residence, who were treated on scene by emergency medical personnel before being transported to a hospital, where they are being treated for serious injuries.
Two of the victims were later transferred to a medical burn centre for further treatment.
“Tragically, the adult female victim succumbed to her injuries she sustained in the fire,” the police department said.
It did not release the victim’s name pending notification of kin but the deceased has been identified as Udumala by her family.
A fundraiser has been launched by Udumala’s cousin Rathna Gopu to help cover funeral and memorial expenses, repatriation and transportation arrangements, immediate family support and additional expenses resulting from the tragic accident.
“…our family experienced an unimaginable tragedy when our beloved cousin, Sahaja Udumala, passed away following a devastating fire accident.
"Sahaja was just 24 years old, a bright and hardworking student pursuing her Master’s degree in Albany, NY, with a future full of dreams, hope, and promise,” Gopu said on the fundraiser.
Gopu added that Udumala sustained severe burn injuries affecting nearly 90 per cent of her body.
“She struggled immensely, fighting with all the strength she had. Despite all medical efforts, her condition continued to worsen, and she ultimately experienced complete organ failure, leading to her passing this morning,” Gopu said, adding that Udumala was known for her kindness, determination, and the warmth she shared with everyone around her.
“Losing her so suddenly has left our family devastated and facing unexpected emotional and financial hardships.”
So far, over USD 109,000 have been raised through donations out of the total amount of USD 120,000.
