CDS Gen Anil Chauhan admits to loss of aircraft

India rectified tactics and hit deep inside Pakistani territory after initially suffering losses of aircraft in the recent military clashes with Pakistan, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said on Saturday.

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He dismissed as "absolutely incorrect" Islamabad's claim of downing six Indian jets.

Gen Chauhan, in an interview to Bloomberg TV, said India flew all its jets and carried out high-precision strikes to hit back at Pakistan after ascertaining the reasons for the initial losses.

The CDS declined to specify the losses in terms of numbers but clearly pointed out the fact that the Indian military struck deep inside Pakistani territory that, New Delhi said, forced Islamabad to plead to stop the hostilities.

The comments by the top military officer are the Indian military's first clear acknowledgement of losses in the four-day military clashes with Pakistan.

"I think what is important is not the jet being downed but why they were being downed," Gen Chauhan, currently on a visit to Singapore, said.

Gen Chauhan was asked whether India lost combat jets during the four-day military clashes with Pakistan earlier this month.

"So the good part is that we were able to understand the tactical mistakes which we made, remedy it, rectify it and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again targeting at long range," he said.