New Delhi: The Indian Army have said that 18 soldiers undergoing treatment at a hospital in Leh are no more critical and are stable. There are 58 soldiers at other hospitals who should be back on duty within a week. All the Indian Army soldiers were injured during the violent clash with Chinese troops Monday night. Twenty soldiers were killed in the clash with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Galwan Valley in Ladakh.
“The 58 soldiers had minor injuries and hence the optimistic time frame of one week. We expect them to be back on duty soon,” said an army source.
Indian and Chinese military talks Thursday at Galwan Valley in wake of the violent clashes along the Line of Control in Eastern Ladakh region ended with a slight positive trajectory. The talks will continue Friday also.
“The talks were held in more cordial atmosphere with China agreeing to listen and carry on the talks further. More talks tomorrow and the next day are expected,” a source said.
Earlier Thursday, the Indian Army asserted that there are no soldiers ‘missing in action’ following the clash at Galwan Valley.
There were reports that 10 Indian soldiers were missing from Monday night onwards. The Chinese too suffered casualties, but the numbers are said to be in single digits.
The Indian Army troops who were attacked and suffered fatal casualties were carrying weapons, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has clarified. However, they did not fire on their adversaries. The clash, occurred at the south bank of Galwan river, which flows in an east-west direction before its confluence with Shyok river.
The dialogue was to ensure that PLA pulls back all its troops from the Galwan Valley. The PLA has also been asked to remove all the military-grade tents which house them.
Both forces have redeployed troops at the site of the clash. Sources said that India Army officials have made clear to Chinese counterparts that they have to move back.
Major General Abhijit Bapat, who is the commander of the Indian Army’s 3 Division, raised several points with the Chinese officers. These were with regards to the incident on the intervening night of June 15/16.
Sources said Indian troops were outnumbered five times when they came under attack from the Chinese soldiers. China’s PLA ‘savagely attacked’ the Indian Army personnel, according to sources in the government.
“The numbers were stacked up against the Indian Army troops. Yet, the Indian side decided to fight the PLA. The Indian soldiers were outnumbered 1:5 by the Chinese troopers,” a source said Thursday.
China is also said to have used thermal imaging drones to trace the Indian soldiers scattered on the treacherous terrain. Then they brutally attacked them.
“It was the deadliest attack carried on Indian Army by Chinese military personnel in our memory,” the government source said. “We were outnumbered,” admitted an Indian Army officer, about the clash that went on for six to seven hours.
The Indian Army said that its soldiers went to the spot where the clashes occurred without any animosity. They were displaying friendly gestures to the Chinese side when they were attacked.
