Indian soldiers killed in skirmish with Chinese forces in Himalayas
At least three Indian soldiers, including a senior army officer, were killed in a confrontation with Chinese troops along their disputed border high in the Himalayas, where thousands of soldiers on both sides have been facing off for over a month, the Indian army said Tuesday.
The incident — in which neither side fired any shots, according to Indian officials — is the first deadly confrontation between the two Asian giants since 1975.
The Indian army said in a statement that a "violent faceoff" took place in Galwan Valley in the Ladakh region on Monday night, "with casualties on both sides."
"The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers," the statement said. "Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation."
China, for its part, accused Indian forces along the border of carrying out "provocative attacks" on its troops, leading to "serious physical conflicts" between the sides.
Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian gave no details on any casualties on the Chinese side but said Tuesday that China had strongly protested the incident while still being committed to maintaining "peace and tranquillity" along the disputed and heavily militarized border.
"But what is shocking is that on June 15, the Indian troops seriously violated the consensus of the two sides, crossed the border illegally twice and carried out provocative attacks on Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical conflicts between the two border forces," Zhao said.