Chinese army holds military drill close to Arunachal border
FLEXING MUSCLES? Chinese media says exercise held to practice quick movement of troops, destroy enemy aircraft
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has held “livefire drills” in Tibet, close to the India’s border in Arunachal, to practice quick movement of troops and destroy enemy aircraft, the state media has said.
The reports didn’t say when and why the 11-hour military exercise was held, the latest in a series of the war games the Chinese have talked about following the month-old standoff between the two countries in Doklam region that borders India’s northeast frontier in Sikkim.
“The brigade that conducted the (latest) drills was from the PLA’s Tibet military command and is one of China’s two plateau mountain brigades,” China Central Television (CCTV), the national broadcaster, said.
The report is being seen as a message to the Indian government and military, as China claims large parts of Arunachal, India’s easternmost state, as southern Tibet.
The drill was held in the Tibet Autonomous Region in the middle and lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo river, which “is located in the upper stream of the Brahmaputra river which flows through China, India and Bangladesh”.
The Yarlung Zangbo enters India through Arunachal where it is called Siang before it becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam. China has been building dams over it, causing concern in India that it could affect the flow of the Brahmaputra.
The mountain brigade had long been stationed around the middle and lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo and was responsible for frontline combat, the nationalistic Global Times quoted the CCTV report as saying.
It said quick delivery of troops and different military units coming together for joint attacks was practised, which also involved use of anti-tank grenades and missiles.
“The video also shows radar units identifying enemy aircraft and soldiers using anti-aircraft artillery to annihilate targets,” the English language tabloid said.
It wasn’t clear if the drill was part of a military exercise carried out earlier this month at 15,000 feet in the Tibet plateau, the first time the PLA had gone so high.
During the exercise, the Chinese soldiers tested new equipment including tanks, the official Xinhua news agency had said.
CONTINUED ON P 5
A five-year-old girl and a soldier were killed in heavy Pakistan firing along the line of control in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, forcing India to warn the neighbouring country it reserved the right to hit back.
The intense shelling of Indian posts and villages in Rajouri and Poonch districts also left a soldier and woman battling for life as the director generals of military operations (DGMOs) of the two countries spoke over the phone.
Naik Muddasar Ahmed was grievously injured when mortar shells landed on his bunker in Bhimber Gali sector, the army said in a statement. He was taken to a hospital but couldn’t be saved. The Bhimber Gali sector runs along Rajouri and Poonch districts.
The 37-year-old was from Tral in Pulwama in southern Kashmir and was with the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKI).
“The nation will always remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” the army said. Ahmed is survived by his wife and two children. Another JAKI jawan, Naik Firdous, was severely injured, sources said.
Five-year-old Saida Kafeel Kouser was killed in Poonch’s Balakote while Shah Bi suffered shrapnel injuries in Rajouri.
The Pakistani side started firing indiscriminately at around 7.30am, targeting the Bhimber Gali sector, defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said, adding the Indian side was retaliating strongly.
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