Three Indian troops — an Army officer and two soldiers — were killed on Monday by the soldiers from communist China amid an ongoing border dispute between the world’s two most populated nations, both of which are also nuclear powers.
The incident comes amid a weeks-long stand-off between the two nations in the Galwan valley in western Himalayas which features “both accusing each other of trespassing into the other’s territory,” Reuters reported. According to the Indian Army, a “face-off” between the two sides on Monday turned deadly, with both sides suffering casualties.
“During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday night with casualties on both sides,” the Indian Army said. “The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers. Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation.”
The New York Times reported that preliminary reports indicated that the soldiers that were killed had not been shot, but had been killed in “a rock-throwing melee that was similar to fights that broke out last month along the border and seriously injured several soldiers on both sides.”
The incident marked the first time in more than 30 years that soldiers from either side were killed in skirmishes along the border.
“Last month, Chinese troops confronted Indian soldiers at several remote border points in the Himalayas, some more than 1,000 miles apart. Since then, both armies have rushed in thousands of reinforcements along what is known as the Line of Actual Control, the precise location of which can be blurry,” The Times added. “Indian analysts say that China has beefed up its forces with dump trucks, excavators, troop carriers, artillery and armored vehicles, and that China is now occupying Indian territory.”
Military analysts told the Times that China is becoming more aggressive in defending its territorial claims, which comes after the communist nation repeatedly lied about the coronavirus pandemic that broke out in Wuhan.
The global backlash to China’s lies about the coronavirus pandemic has led to a top Chinese think tank that is affiliated with China’s military to conclude that the communist nation needs to be prepared for a potential armed conflict to break out with the United States.
“The report, presented early last month by the Ministry of State Security to top Beijing leaders including President Xi Jinping, concluded that global anti-China sentiment is at its highest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown,” Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the document. “As a result, Beijing faces a wave of anti-China sentiment led by the United States in the aftermath of the pandemic and needs to be prepared in a worst-case scenario for armed confrontation between the two global powers, according to people familiar with the report’s content, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.