An Indian Army convoy moves along a highway leading to Ladakh, at Gagangeer in Kashmirs Ganderbal district June 18, 2020. (Photo by Reuters)
China has freed 10 Indian soldiers seized in a high-altitude border clash in the Himalayas which left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead, media reports said Friday.
The release follows several rounds of talks between the two sides in a bid to ease tensions after the battle on Monday, in which scores of troops from the two sides fought with nail-studded batons and hurled rocks at each other.
The 10 soldiers were freed late Thursday, the Press Trust of India news agency and other media reported.
The Indian government made no comment but the army released a statement saying, "It is clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action" after the fighting in the Galwan Valley area of Ladakh.
The Hindu newspaper said an agreement on the release was reached at major general-level talks between the Indian army and Chinas Peoples Liberation Army.
India and China have blamed each other for the most serious fighting in more than 50 years along their bitterly contested Himalayas border, where they fought a war in 1962.
Amidst calls for a boycott of Chinese goods, thousands attended funerals on Thursday for many of the 20 Indian soldiers killed in the clash. Chinese flags and posters of Chinas President Xi Jinping were burned in at least two cities.
The Indian military said 18 troops were still being treated for serious injuries.
China has admitted that it suffered casualties but has not given any figures.
The two sides have held a series of political and military talks in a bid to bring tensions down but warned each other in public statements.
US condoles with India
The United States offered its condolences to India on Friday over the deaths of Indian soldiers.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the people of India for the lives lost as a result of the recent confrontation with China," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a message posted on Twitter.
"We will remember the soldiers families, loved ones, and communities as they grieve."
With his nation in shock over the loss of its soldiers lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces one of the most difficult foreign policy challenges since he came to power in 2014.
As a non-aligned nation, India has always sought to balance the influence of super-powers, while maintaining an independent course in foreign policy matters.
But in the past two decades, New Delhi has built closer political and defense ties with Washington, and the United States has become one of Indias top arms suppliers.
In the wake of the rising tensions with Beijing, there are rising calls from top former Indian diplomats for an even tighter relationship with the United States and its allies such as Japan to help face the economic and military might of China.
(Source: Agencies)
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