4 killed in Galwan clash, admits China
Indian, Chinese troops end confrontation at Pangong Tso; talks over other friction points today
Indian and Chinese troops have completed their disengagement from the most contentious friction point, Pangong Tso, in the Eastern Ladakh after nine months of an eyeball-to-eyeball military stand-off.
Corps Commanders from India and China will meet in Moldo on Saturday morning for the 10th round of talks to discuss disengagement at other friction points in Ladakh — Depsang plains and Gogra-Hotsprings.
On Friday, China for the first time officially acknowledged that its four soldiers were killed and one officer was seriously injured during clashes with Indian troops in the Galwan Valley in June last year. The Indian Army had lost 20 soldiers including Col. B. Santosh Babu, the Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar, during the clash.
Earlier this week, Indian Army’s Northern Commander Lt Gen Y.K. Joshi had said that Indian observers had counted more than 60 Chinese casualties being picked up on stretchers and taken back after the clash. “But whether they were fatal or non-fatal, we can’t say with authority. So I will not give a figure. But recently, TASS, the Russian (news) agency had put out a figure of 45 (Chinese soldiers killed during the clash) and I think that could be the figure we can look at,” he had said.
As part of disengagement, both India and China have withdrawn around 200 tanks and armoured vehicles and troops from the north and south banks of Pangong Tso.
The pace of the disengagement — which started on January 10 — by the Chinese has taken many observers by surprise as the neighbouring country had appeared to have come for a long haul. China had built a large number of structures in the finger area on the north bank of Pangong Tso and had deployed a significant number of its troops.
THE INDIAN Army had lost 20 soldiers, including Col. B. Santosh Babu, in the clash.
CHINA WAS suspected to have suffered 45 casualties in the clash with Indian troops.
China has now vacated the area between Finger 4 to 8 on the north bank of Pangong Tso, which its troops had occupied in May 2020. India claims that its territory is up to Finger 8. The Chinese soldiers have dismantled the military infrastructure set up at Finger 5, including jetty and a helipad. Both Indian and Chinese troops have also vacated the Kailash range on the southern banks of Pangong Tso.
Indian Army on Tuesday had released videos, which showed Chinese troops dismantling sangars, temporary structures, and loading up supplies provisions onto trucks. The Chinese soldiers were also seen using earthmovers to dismantle shelters and restoring the landforms as per the agreement.
The videos also showed a large number of Chinese soldiers de-inducting and moving back on trucks.
As per the agreement, the Chinese troops will move east of Finger 8 on the north bank of Pangong Tso and the Indian troops will move to their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3.
There will be a temporary freeze in patrolling by both sides in the area between Finger 4 to 8 on the northern banks of Pangong Tso till both sides reach an agreement.
THE CHINESE soldiers were also seen using earthmovers to dismantle shelters and restoring the landforms as per the agreement.