BBC Verify locates footage of crashed fighter jet
Officials in Islamabad have claimed that Pakistani forces shot down five Indian fighter jets on Wednesday morning. India has so far declined to comment.
But BBC Verify has authenticated three videos all taken from what appears to be the same field and purport to show the wreckage of a French-manufactured Rafale fighter jet.
Image caption,
A field in Bathinda with wreckage of a French-manufactured Rafale fighter
In one clip - geolocated by BBC Verify to a field near the city of Bathinda in India's Punjab state - troops can be seen collecting debris from what experts suggest was the crashed jet.
We have also located two further clips from the same location filmed at night. One shows debris in the field, while another shows a projectile catching fire in the sky, and then fire in an open field.
Justin Crump, a former British Army Officer who runs the risk intelligence company Sibylline, told BBC Verify the wreckage appears to be a French air-to-air missile of a type used on both Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter jets - both are operated by the Indian Air Force.
Another image circulating on social media shows a tail fin with “BS001” and “Rafale” on it. Google reverse image searches don’t show any old versions of the image.
In a press conference earlier today, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri would not be drawn on whether any Indian jets had been brought down.
This post has been updated to include additional context and to reflect the Indian government’s position.
