LEH: Indian fighter jets roared over a flashpoint Himalayan region Wednesday as a part of a show of strength following what military sources say has been a Chinese takeover of contested territory.
Chinese forces have held onto a piece of land covering several square kilometers (miles) at the mouth of the Galway valley following a deadly brawl there on June 15, the Indian military sources told AFP.
The two sides publicly declared they might pull back following the clash, which saw 20 Indian soldiers killed during a battle involving rocks and nail-studded batons.
But both have maintained troops around the valley, with India deploying more forces and trying to project military might.
Indian jets regularly took off Wednesday from a military base in Leh, the most Indian town within the contested region, and headed towards the mountainous border 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.
There were also checkpoints on main roads out Leh and a frenzy of military activity around the main town, which lies at 3,500 meters (11,500 feet).
Residents reported long lines of military trucks and artillery on roads near Leh.
"We now have an honest strength present within the area," a politician of the Indian army's Northern Command told AFP on condition of anonymity, about the reinforcements.
Tashi Chhepal, a retired Indian army captain who has served within the area and is predicated in Leh, said the mobilization was unprecedented during a sensitive region touching Pakistan also as China.
"I haven't seen this type of military movement before," he told AFP.
China gains
After the newest round of talks between military commanders on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the 2 sides had "agreed to require necessary measures to market a cooling of the situation".
But they made similar comments after a fist-fight in May that proved to be a warmup for the medieval-style battle at Galway.
Images taken on Sunday by the US satellite firm Maxar showed trucks and huts at camps on the river at 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) near the scene of the fighting. it had been not clear whose army they were.
The two countries fought a border war in 1962 but this month's fighting was their deadliest encounter in 53 years.
According to Indian military sources, Chinese troops ambushed Indian soldiers and made them down a ridge where that they had gone to get rid of a Chinese "encroachment".
A bilateral accord prevents the utilization of guns, but the fighting was still fierce, reportedly with rocks and batons wrapped with wire.
China has successively accused Indian soldiers of twice crossing the road of Actual Control, the unofficial boundary, provoking its troops.
But the Chinese appear to be sticking to their gains at Galway and therefore the nearby Pangong Tso lake, police intelligence also as military sources told AFP.
China is now claiming the valley as its own, in statements that India has rejected.
Lesson learned
Indian analysts are dubious of the probabilities of a serious easing of the tensions or that India will reclaim the territory.
Harsh Pant from the Observer Research Foundation think-tank in New Delhi said: "Anything that the Chinese now say cannot be taken on face value. India, hopefully, has learned its lessons now."
Amid involves a boycott of Chinese goods, media reports say Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government could make it harder for Chinese companies to try to business.
But analysts say there's recognition on each side that their economies need one another.
"There could also be some short term public backlash against China in India, but publicly, Pakistan swamps China as a perceived threat," said Vipin Narang, a security specialist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"The effects of this crisis, albeit some time burns, could also be short-lived amongst India's public. And cheap TVs are still cheap TVs."
0 Comments