Alwaght- Three Indian soldiers have been killed in a "violent face-off" with Chinese soldiers in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, an Indian army spokesman has said. Beijing claims that the incident occurred after Indian forces crossed the border and attacked Chinese troops.
An Indian Army officer and two soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese troops on Monday night in the Galwan Valley in Kashmir, local media reported. The Chinese military also suffered casualties in the clash, the editor-in-chief of China's Global Times newspaper said on Tuesday. It was the first such confrontation between the two Asian giants since 1975 in which soldiers have died.
Senior military officials from both countries are currently meeting to de-escalate the situation, according to a military statement cited by Indian outlets.
For weeks, Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a tense standoff in several places along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, which is part of India-controlled Kashmir.
Several hundred Chinese and Indian soldiers faced off in a brief skirmish in early May. The Indian Army sent reinforcements, including military vehicles and artillery, to the area following the violent flare-up.
The ongoing escalation in the region has been attributed at least in part to India's anger over China's decision to build roads and airstrips near the border.
