China’s military has released 10 Indian army men captured on Monday during deadly clashes between troops from the two nations along their contested Himalayan border, senior Indian officials with knowledge of the matter said.
The Indian Government did not ever confirm the troops — including two officers — were missing. Instead, it issued a statement on Thursday saying there were no army men missing in action.
Their release followed talks between senior military commanders in Galwan, the officials said, asking not to be identified because the matter isn’t public.
The skirmishes with stones, iron rods and bamboo poles wrapped in barbed wire laced with nails left 20 Indian army men dead along with an unknown number of Chinese casualties. The scuffle is the worst border incident between the two nations in at least 45 years and signalled a sharp deterioration in ties between the two regional giants.
The violence broke out Monday afternoon and went on until midnight on the Tibetan plateau along the freezing Galwan river.
