Indian, Chinese Troops Disengage from Himalayan Border Area

NEW DELHI - Indian and Chinese troops have pulled back from a disputed border area in the Himalayas where soldiers from both sides had been facing off for over a year, according to the Indian army.

Although the announcement marks progress in the resolving border disputes that have worsened ties between the two Asian countries, other points of friction persist. The withdrawal from the Gogra area in eastern Ladakh marked the second round of disengagement this year. It came six months after India and China pulled back troops from a strategic Himalayan Lake, Pangong Tso, that had emerged as their most serious flashpoint in decades and led to a massive military buildup in the region. An Indian army statement Friday said that both sides had dismantled “temporary structures erected by them along with allied infrastructure, with the actions being mutually verified.” It said that troops were back in their “respective permanent bases and that “the landform in the area has been restored by both sides to the pre-standoff period.”