By Sumit Kumar Singh
New Delhi, Jun 17 (IANS): Chinese Peoples Liberation Army has suffered casualties in single digits so far during their brutal attack on Indian Army personnel at Galwan valley at the Line of Actual Control that has so far killed 20 Indian soldiers, sources said.
"Their casualties are as low and in single digits so far," sources told IANS. The Chinese outnumbered Indian soldiers 1:5 at the ridge by the Galwan river where the clashes took place for six to seven hours on Monday night. The Chinese soldiers at patrolling point 14 where they were to make a deescalate operation, took on an India unarmed visiting patrol by surprise.
Indian Army has refused to comment on the number of Chinese Army casualties. "It takes time to analyse the casualties in the opposite camp during such violent attacks. Lot of factors are involved to reach specifics," the army officer told IANS.
Source in a top intelligence agency stated that casualties on the other side (Chinese) are in single digit according to "analysis done so far".
During the brutal clash, at patrolling point number 14 in Ladakh on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, Indian Army troopers were outnumbered by 1:5 ratio when they came under attack from the Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers.
China's PLA troopers "savagely attacked" Indian Army personnel, according to sources in the government with knowledge of the details of the Monday night clashes between the two army soldiers.
"The numbers were stacked up against the Indian Army troopers. Yet, the Indian side decided to fight the PLA troopers. The Indian soldiers were outnumbers 1:5 by the Chinese troopers," the sources said on Wednesday.
China is also said to have used thermal imaging drones to trace the Indian Army soldiers scattered on the treacherous terrain before brutally attacking them.
"It was the deadliest attack carried on Indian Army personnel by the Chinese military personnel to our memory," the government sources said.
"We were outnumbered," admitted an Indian Army officer, talking about the clash that went on for six to seven hours.
On Wednesday, the government sources said several Indian Army soldiers are "critically injured" and are undergoing treatment. The "causality numbers could increase" as the current critically injured personnel numbers are more than 10, the sources said.
The Indian Army official, however, refused to comment on the numbers, but just said "several are injured".
On Tuesday, Indian Army said 20 of its men, including officers, were killed in an unprecedented violent clash with PLA troopers at the Galwan Valley on Monday night. The force also said the death toll would increase, as many soldiers were grievously injured.
In a statement on Tuesday night Indian Army stated, "17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the standoff location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries, taking the total that were killed in action to 20."
The force further said Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the intervening night of June 15/16.
It said the Indian Army is firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation.
These are the first casualties suffered by either armies since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.
The latest attack took place after the Brigade and Company commanders-level talks happened in eastern Ladakh between the two militaries on June 6. The ongoing disagreement over the disputed area between te two sides have been on since early May.