Conflicts & War

Satellite images confirm Chinese troop withdrawal from India border

New Delhi, Feb 17 (efe-epa).- Satellite images released on Wednesday that show the withdrawal of Chinese troops from the Himalayan border with India confirm the easing of more than three months of military tensions that led to deadly clashes between the two Asian giants.

The Indian defense minister, Rajnath Singh, told Parliament last week that an “agreement on disengagement” had been reached with China over troops stationed on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake.

“It will substantially restore the situation to that existing prior to the standoff last year,” he said.

The images, sent to Efe by space tech firm Maxar, show Pangong Lake, located in the disputed territory of eastern Ladakh between India and China, and how “Chinese troops” have pulled out in recent days.

Maxar provided images dated 31 January that show Chinese camps on the banks of the lake, along with later images dated 16 February that “confirm that multiple troop and infrastructure deployments that had been in place (…) have been removed or are being removed/dismantled,” the company said.

The agreement will see both India and China pull back their respective military deployments in a “phased, coordinated and verified manner”, Singh said in his speech last week.

A temporary moratorium on military activities for both countries on specified sectors in Ladakh was also agreed.

Singh added that India “had not concede anything” during the discussions with China.

Diplomatic and military talks will continue to agree on details of the withdrawal and other pending issues.

“There are still some outstanding issues with regard to deployment and patrolling at some points along the Line of Actual Control. These will be the focus of further discussions with the Chinese side,” Singh said.

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