India’s 20 Soldiers Killed On Disputed Himalayan Border With China...

 

                            "India-China" Border Tension Flares Up in "Galwan Valley"

 

                    There have been clashes between India and China in the "Galwan Valley".

 “During the de-escalation process under way in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday [Monday] night with casualties on both sides,” the Indian army said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon Delhi-time, initially confirming three deaths.

First loss of life in area in at least 45 years comes amid renewed dispute

 Twenty members of India’s armed forces have been killed in a “violent face-off” with Chinese soldiers on their disputed Himalayan border in the worst military crisis between the two countries in nearly 60 years.

The deaths are the first loss of life in the border area since 1975, and come amid a renewed dispute between the two countries in recent weeks. Indian and Chinese soldiers, who often do not carry weapons in the area to avoid escalating conflicts, have brawled, detained each other and deployed forces and equipment in the western Himalayas in recent weeks.

"The traditionally peaceful Galwan River has now become a hotspot because it is where the LAC is closest to the new road India has built along the Shyok River to Daulet Beg Oldi (DBO) - the most remote and vulnerable area along the LAC in Ladakh," Mr Shukla says.

India's decision to ramp up infrastructure seems to have infuriated Beijing.

Chinese state-run media outlet Global Times said categorically: ", The Galwan Valley region is Chinese territory and the local border control situation was very clear."

"According to the Chinese military, India is the one which has forced its way into the Galwan valley. So, India is changing the status quo along the LAC - that has angered the Chinese," says Dr Long Xingchun, president of the Chengdu Institute of World Affairs (CIWA), a think tank.

Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia programmed at the Wilson Center, another think tank, says this face-off is not routine. He adds China's "massive deployment of soldiers is a show of strength".

The road could boost Delhi's capability to move men and materiel rapidly in case of a conflict.

Differences have been growing in the past year over other areas of policy too.

The army said “senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation” and it was “firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation.”

Indian government sources said several troops were still missing and the death toll was likely to grow. The Guardian understands that fighting broke out at dusk on Monday when an Indian patrol unexpectedly encountered Chinese forces on a narrow ridge while on a patrol.

An Indian commanding officer was pushed and fell into the river gorge, sources said, leading to reinforcements being called and up to 600 troops from both armies fighting hand-to-hand, with stones and iron rods as weapons, until late in the night, with several men from both sides falling to their deaths. No shots were fired.

Tensions between the two sides had been escalating since late April, after China’s encroachment of thousands of troops into disputed territory along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), who set up camps and brought over artillery and vehicles and caught India off-guard. Chinese soldiers ignored repeated verbal warnings to leave, triggering shouting matches, stone-throwing and fistfights in key border areas, but on 6 June there was a meeting of senior Indian and Chinese military commanders and a commitment to disengagement was made on both sides.

 However, tensions remained high as Chinese troops had still not withdrawn from certain areas of disputed territory, including Galwan Valley. Monday’s fatal clashes happened close to Patrolling Point 14 in the Galwan Valley, near the LAC. Chinese PLA troops had reportedly begun to retreat east from the area as agreed, but then turned back and were then confronted by Indian troops patrolling the area.

Brahma Chellaney, Professor of Strategic Studies at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research described the fatal escalation as a “watershed moment,” adding: “On a political level, China-India relations will not be the same again.”

In addition, China was unhappy when India initially banned all exports of medical and protective equipment to shore up its stocks soon after the corona virus pandemic started earlier this year.

The new federally-administered Ladakh included Aksai Chin, an area India claims but China controls.

 

 "We routinely see both armies crossing the LAC - it's fairly common and such incidents are resolved at the local military level. But this time, the build-up is the largest we have ever seen," says former Indian diplomat P Stobdan, an expert in Ladakh and India-China affairs.

"The stand-off is happening at some strategic areas that are important for India. If Pangong lake is taken, Ladakh can't be defended. If the Chinese military is allowed to settle in the strategic valley of Shyok, then the Nubra valley and even Siachen can be reached."

In what seems to be an intelligence failure, India seems to have been caught off guard again. According to Indian media accounts, the country's soldiers were outnumbered and surrounded when China swiftly diverted men and machines from a military exercise to the border region.

This triggered alarm in Delhi - and India has limited room for man-oeuvre. It can either seek to persuade Beijing to withdraw its troops through dialogue or try to remove them by force. Neither is an easy option.

"China is the world's second-largest military power. Technologically it's superior to India. Infrastructure on the other side is very advanced. Financially, China can divert its resources to achieve its military goals, whereas the Indian economy has been struggling in recent years, and the corona virus crisis has worsened the situation," says Ajai Shukla.

  

                A great tribute o those Indian Soldiers who "Martyr" for his "Nation" ( INDIA )