India’s SFF troops are at critical heights Credit: @detresfa_ | Photo credit: Twitter
Key points
- Xi Jinping appointed a new general on December 19 as the commander of the PLA Western Theater Command that oversees the China-India border.
- India has occupied 13 critical heights and mountain passes along the southern bank of the Pangong Tso
- SFF troops have 13 critical heights
New Delhi: New satellite images have reaffirmed India’s strategic deployment in Pangong Tso, Spanggur Tso area along the Royal Line of Control (LAC).
The images were shared by OSINT analyst “d-atis” on Twitter.
Last year in August, the Vikas Battalion, India’s Special Border Force (SFF) unit, under cover of darkness overtook the PLA by occupying 13 critical heights and mountain passes along the southern bank of the Pangong Tso, a glacial lake at 16,000 feet.
The SFF is a task force made up of Tibetan refugees that was formed after the 1962 India-China war.
Strategic deployment in Pangong Tso, Spanggur Tso
“Throughout #IndiaChinaStandOff, the silence of #India’s political leadership allowed many to create havoc and panic, yet the images were tactfully posted in late 2020 as geolocated locations reaffirm India’s strategic deployments in #PangongTso and #SpanggurTso, ”d-atis tweeted.
China has also deployed troops a few meters from the Indian position on the heights.
Shaken by India’s covert action, China has already begun to aggressively develop infrastructure across LAC. The PLA is reportedly developing infrastructure near the Karakoram Pass and Rechin La.
It is also building a permanent integrated habitable infrastructure called model villages and major sources have told IANS that new complexes have sprung up approximately 5.5 km northeast of the Chinese PLA camp, also known as Camp Gobak, in Rudok, located nearby by Pangong Tso.
China and India in talks to hold ninth round of commander-level meeting
Meanwhile, China and India are in consultations to hold the ninth round of corps commander-level meetings to discuss the withdrawal of troops from eastern Ladakh.
In making the statement, the spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, Colonel Tan Kefei, said that the situation in the border areas is generally stable.
During talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs level on December 18, the two sides agreed to continue working to ensure the complete disconnection of troops at all friction points throughout LAC.
