Satellite images show China had base in Ladakh

New satellite images confirmed withdrawal of Chinese soldiers from the position that they had occupied across the Line of Actual Control in Gogra-Hot Springs in Eastern Ladakh, according to NDTV which claimed to have access to the images.

The report claimed that the Chinese soldiers had withdrawn three kilometres from the position that they occupied earlier. The withdrawal is part of a mutual disengagement process that saw the Chinese army bringing down a major base at the Line of Actual Control near an area the Indian Army used to patrol in 2020.

The pre-disengagement image of August 12, 2022 showed the army of the communist nation had constructed a large building across the Line of Actual Control near an area the Indian Army used to patrol before the Chinese incursions across the LAC took place in Ladakh in 2020, according to the report. The building is surrounded by trenches and what appear to be fox holes for infantry and mortar positions, it added.

An image dated September 15 indicates that the Chinese have brought down this building and transported construction debris from this site to what appears to be a temporary position to the North, it said.

The before and after images from satellite imagery specialists Maxar focus only on Chinese positions, claimed the report. It did not show the extent of the buffer-zone, or no-man’s land, created between the Armies of both sides as part of the agreement. Another image shows that the landform at the site vacated by the Chinese has been restored along the lines of the disengagement agreement announced by both sides.

Both the sides agreed for disagreement from the Gogra area after the 16th round of talks between India and China’s Corps Commander ranked Army officers on July 17. According to the External Affairs Ministry, ‘”It has been agreed that all temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides will be dismantled and mutually verified. The landforms in the area will be restored to the pre-standoff period by both sides.” The new satellite images confirm that this did happen.

The disengagement in Gogra, which was completed on September 12, four days after it began, had triggered speculation of the possibility of talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Xinping in Samarkand, Uzbekistan over the last two days during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet. – INDIA NEWS STREAM