Army chief visits forward areas in Ladakh, commends jawans who fought during face-off with Chinese soldiers

Amid tensions between India and China over the border issue, Army Chief General MM Naravane on Wednesday visited forward areas in eastern Ladakh and reviewed the operational situation on the ground in the wake of the border standoff with China. 

General Naravane is on a two-day visit to the region.

He also awarded commendation cards to soldiers who fought valiantly with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) during the recent face-off with China in the region.

The Army chief also commended the troops for their high morale and exhorted them to continue working with zeal and enthusiasm.

"General MM Naravane COAS visited forward areas in Eastern Ladakh and reviewed the operational situation on the ground. COAS commended the troops for their high morale and exhorted them to continue working with zeal and enthusiasm," a tweet from the official handle of Additional Directorate General of Public Information, (Army) said.

On June 23, General Narvane interacted with soldiers at the Military Hospital in Leh. Prior to his visit, the Army chief held discussions with all the commanders in Delhi.  After reaching Leh, General Naravane first visited the Military Hospital to meet soldiers, who were injured during the violent clashes at the Galwan Valley in the eastern Ladakh on June 15 night. 

Naravane had on Monday discussed the security situation with the top Army commanders in Delhi, officials said. According to Army officials, all commanders are in the national capital for the second phase of the commanders` conference.

Army Commanders Conference was held from June 22-23 to review the operational situation on both the northern and western fronts.

The meeting comes at a time when India and China are holding military-level talks to defuse the border tensions after the violent face-off in Ladakh`s Galwan valley in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.

Indian intercepts have revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured.