Two weeks after an attack in Indian cashmere, new Delhi retaliated. On the night of Tuesday, May 6 to Wednesday, May 7, the Indian army led air strikes in Pakistan, triggering violent clashes along the border, killing at least 38 people. At the same time, “The Pakistani army has shot down five fighter planes and a fighting drone to defend itself and respond to the enemy” Who attacked him, said the army spokesman on Wednesday morning, Lieutenant-General Ahmed Chaudhry, adding that it is, according to him, “Three Rafale, a MIG 29 and a plane known”. An assessment not confirmed by the Ministry of Indian Defense.
Online, the battle of information was nourished by the two camps and many photos and videos circulated to try to prove, sometimes in an erroneous way, the losses of the opponent. The evidence, however, remains insufficient, at stadium, to confirm the report put forward by Pakistan.
The case for which we have the most elements concerns the crash of a device in the south of the Pendjab, in Indian territory therefore, a few kilometers from the city of Bathinda. A video circulating online since Wednesday morning shows a group of men, speaking Pendjabi, being busy around debris. Comments indicate that the scene would take place near Akalia Kalan, a village around 70 km from the border with Pakistan.
The video distinctly shows two objects. We first see a carrying pylon, equipment attached under the wing or the fuselage of an aircraft, allowing to fix and take ammunition. On part of the pylon, you can read the inscription “Launcher missile”. This kind of equipment can be transported by Rafale or Mirage 2000. A few meters from the pylon is an unploded missile, which is distinguished by its fins, of the Mica type. Night turned, these images also showing flame debris do not identify the place.
Another video, filmed after sunrise, shows several military and rescue vehicles, as well as canvases stretched in the middle of a field. The man who films with his smartphone is expressed in hanging: “A plane crashed last night near our village Akalia Khurd. It was around 1:15 am, there was a very big explosion. ”
From this village, and thanks to the visual elements of this video, CheckNews was able to find the exact place where it was turned, 200 meters south-east of Akalia Khurd, a neighboring village of Akalia Kalan, in the south of the Pendjab.
A final video as well as a photo show a debris of aircraft engine in the middle of a field, a few hours after sunrise. The state of the field and the surrounding trees are similar to the previous video, turned near Akalia Khurd, even if it is difficult to be certain.
-According to the rivets present on the shutters at the end of the engine (secondary shutters), the machine shown in this video corresponds to an M88 engine, used by Dassault to equip the Rafale.
Later in the day, the photo of a piece of the tail of a burst, registered BS 001, and painted Indian flag, also circulated. This debris is presented as having been recovered from the crash website near Bathinda. Difficult, however, to authenticate this photo.
According to the local press, the crash made a civilian dead and nine injured. Contacted by CheckNewsneither the Ministry of Defense, Nor that of Foreign Affairs, Nor Dassault, manufacturer of the Rafale, have for the time confirmed the crash of such a device.
The evidence regarding the loss of four other combat aircraft, including two Rafale, are lacking. Earlier in the day, photos of AFP had been relayed on social networks, notably showing the debris of a device found in Wuyan, further north, in the state of cashmere.
Sometimes presented as the remains of a fighter plane, these are actually debris of a reservoir, according to the armament expert Trevor Ball, quoted by the New York Times. He believes that the tank, planned to increase the scope of planes, could be that of a burst or a mirage. The absence of damage linked to a fire confirms that it is not a question of debris of a device that has crashed, but a tank will voluntarily dropped by the pilot.
Another track: a video supposed to show a fire of a carcass of the apparatus around the city of Akhnoor, there too in the Indian cashmere. CheckNews is unable to confirm either the place of the video or the cause of the fire.
This new episode in the conflict between India and Pakistan has also seen its share of false images, from video games like Battlefield, or previous clashes.
