Mutual consensus to disengage discussed at India-China corps commander talks; COAS in Leh

As Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane arrived in Leh to review the on-ground situation and visit forward locations on Tuesday, the Corps Commander level talks with China at Moldo that were scheduled to be held have been put on hold. As per sources, the meeting between the Indian Army's 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh and his Chinese counterpart is not taking place on June 23 as Harinder Singh had to brief the Army chief on the developments of the talks.

Amid this, sources have informed Republic that the Corps Commander-level talks between India and China on June 22, 2020, were held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere. There was a mutual consensus to disengage, and modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in Eastern Ladakh were discussed and will be taken forward by both the sides, sources added.

The Army chief had on Monday discussed the security situation with the top Army commanders in Delhi, officials said. According to Army officials, all commanders are in the national capital for the second phase of the Army Commanders' Conference which is being held on June 22-23 to review the operational situation on both the northern and western fronts.  

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Army Commander-level talks

After 11.5 hours on Monday, the fourth set of talks Corps Commander-level talks concluded in Moldo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China. Sources stated that India demanded a return to the April status quo, asking the Chinese to remove the additional buildup done in the Galwan and Pangong Tso areas. 

READ | India-China Corps Commander talks on; Finger areas in Pangong remain bone of contention

China admits to Commander's fatality

Also on Monday, Chinese Army officials confirmed that their commanding officer was killed in the Galwan Valley clash on June 15, as per sources. China had previously admitted they had casualties but had not revealed the numbers. US intelligence reports state that China has suffered at least 35 casualties. 

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Galwan clash

20 Indian Army soldiers including a Colonel were martyred when a violent faceoff took place last Monday night while the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. 76 others suffered injuries in the clash, in which hundreds of soldiers from both sides are said to have engaged.

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