India Says Three Soldiers Died In Clash With Chinese Troops In Ladakh
Senior military officials of India and China are holding a meeting in Galwan Valley of Eastern Ladakh to defuse tensions.
An Indian Army officer and two soldiers were killed in a confrontation with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh on Monday night, escalating the five-week-long India-China border standoff.
"During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent faceoff took place on Monday night with casualties. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers," the army said in a brief statement.
The army said there were casualties on the Chinese side as well but the extent of it was not immediately clear. Official sources said there was no firing between the two sides.
Monday’s was perhaps the first incident in 45 years that Indian army personnel have been killed along the India-China border. Four Indian soldiers had lost their lives in an ambush at Tulung La in Arunachal Pradesh in 1975. The incident also comes days after Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane said both sides have begun disengaging from the Galwan Valley.
A large number of Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a border standoff in Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie areas of Ladakh for the last five weeks.
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A sizeable number of Chinese Army personnel even transgressed into the Indian side of the de-facto border in several areas, including Pangong Tso.
The Indian Army has been fiercely objecting to the transgressions, and demanded their immediate withdrawal for restoration of peace and tranquillity in the area. Both sides held a series of talks in the last few days to resolve the row.