Disengagement begins as China pulls back troops in the tense Galwan valley by a kilometre

in China has withdrawn its troops by at least a kilometer in the tense Galwan river valley in eastern Ladakh, where 20 soldiers were killed in action in a deadly brawl with Chinese troops on June 15, sources said on Monday. Indian soldiers have also pulled back and a buffer zone has been created between the troops of both sides, according to the sources.

“We will need to wait to see if this is a lasting, genuine disengagement,” said the sources.

Temporary structures built by Chinese soldiers at the illegally occupied site at the river-bend embankment are being removed by both sides, according to the sources.

Reports of the pull-back in the last 24 hours have emerged three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to a Ladakh forward post on Friday, where he addressed thousands of troops and asserted, without naming China, that “the age of expansionism is over and expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back.”

The Lieutenant-General-level talks have focused on reducing tension at the Line of Actual Control – the de facto border between India and China – after weeks of a tense face-off including physical fights in early May.

Satellite images of Galwan embankment on June 25, 2020. Black tarpaulins visible on June 25. Area appears çleaned up.

The progress from talks, sources had said, would be contingent upon China agreeing to move back to its positions before the tension in the area started building-up in April.