CHINA MOVES BACK 10,000 TROOPS FROM LADAKH THEATRE
NEW DELHI: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has moved back at least 10,000 soldiers from depth areas in the Ladakh theatre to rear positions in the midst of the ongoing border standoff between India and China, officials said on Monday.
There has been some thinning of Chinese troops — around 10,000 — in the depth areas but the PLA’s frontline deployments remain unchanged, said one of the officials. The withdrawal of troops appears to be linked to extreme weather conditions in the sector, said a second official.
The reduction of 10,000 troops has happened over the last week to 10 days, said a third official, with the standoff now in its ninth month.
NEW DELHI: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has moved back at least 10,000 soldiers from depth areas in the Ladakh theatre to rear positions in the midst of the ongoing border standoff between India and China, officials familiar with the development said on Monday.
There has been some thinning of Chinese troops — around 10,000 — in the depth areas, but the PLA’s frontline deployments remain unchanged, said one of the officials cited above. The withdrawal of troops appears to be linked to extreme weather conditions in the sector, said a second official. The troop withdrawal, experts said, has to be seen against the backdrop of the overall Indian and Chinese military deployments in the theatre — both armies have deployed a total of 100,000 soldiers and weaponry.
“In winters, large-scale or even limited military operations are ruled out. That’s possibly the reason why the PLA has withdrawn troops from depth areas,” said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd). The reduction of 10,000 troops has happened over the last week to 10 days, said a third official.
The army is closely monitoring the developments in the Ladakh theatre as a re-induction of troops by the PLA in the sector cannot be ruled out, said a fourth official.
The Ladakh standoff is in its ninth month, with soldiers holding forward positions at friction points in extreme weather conditions. The two armies have held eight rounds of military talks so far, with dates yet to be announced for the delayed ninth round of dialogue between corps commander-ranked officers.
Even as the ground situation remains unchanged in the Ladakh sector, chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat on Monday reached Leh for a security review of the sensitive area. Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria also visited forward areas in eastern Ladakh on Monday.
Rawat’s two-day tour will also see him visit forward locations in Kashmir. During the Ladakh leg of the tour, the CDS will be briefed by the local military leadership on the prevailing security situation, officials said. He will also visit forward areas in the sector and interact with troops deployed there. The air chief on Monday visited air force stations and advanced landing grounds (ALGs) in the Ladakh sector, the IAF said in a statement.
He was briefed on the air force’s operational readiness to deal with any contingency in the Ladakh theatre, amid the ongoing border row with China.
“During his visit to Thoise, he reviewed the ongoing logistics operations for support and sustenance of troops in the winter season. He also visited DBO and Nyoma ALGs where he was given a security overview in the respective sub-sectors,” the statement said. DBO is short for the Daulat Beg Oldi military base. The air chief also joined the CDS for a comprehensive discussion on operational matters with senior IAF and Indian Army commanders at the Leh airbase, it added.
In a review of major developments published on January 1, the defence ministry said the PLA escalated the situation in the sensitive theatre by using unorthodox weapons against Indian soldiers and amassing a large number of troops during the ongoing border standoff along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC).