India-China face-off live updates: India, China have come to blows and we are trying to help them out, says Trump

An all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation along the India-China border began Friday. Presidents of various political parties, including the BJP, Congress, TMC, AIADMK, DMK, TRS, JD(U), BJD, LJP, BSP, SP, Shiv Sena and NCP among others, are taking part in this virtual meeting.

China on Friday said that “presently”, it has not detained any Indian soldiers, amidst reports that the Chinese military took some Indian troops captive after a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15. The brief statement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian came a day after the Indian Army said that all Indian soldiers involved in the clashes with the Chinese army at the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night have been accounted for. “As far as I know, China presently has not detained any Indian personnel,” Zhao told a media briefing here while answering questions on the tense standoff between the Indian and Chinese troops at the Galwan Valley.

The US Embassy here on Friday condoled the death of Indian soldiers, killed in a violent face-off with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, and said their bravery will not be forgotten. Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in clashes with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff in the region. "The US Mission in India sends our heartfelt condolences to the families of the soldiers who were lost at Galwan. Their bravery and courage will not be forgotten," US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster tweeted.

China says it never detained Indian soldiers after Indian media reports that China had released 10 of them late Thursday. Indian officials have also denied that Indian troops were in Chinese custody. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday that "China hasn't seized any Indian personnel" when asked about the media reports. Read more

Even as the Indian Air Force (IAF) moved its assets including fighter aircraft to forward bases and airfields in view of the ongoing dispute with China, its chief RKS Bhadauria was on a two-day hush-hush visit to the Leh and Srinagar airbases, which would be the most critical for any operations to be carried out by the force in the Eastern Ladakh area. The visit assumes significance as it came soon after the top security brass of the country reviewed the situation and military options after the Chinese Army killed 20 Indian soldiers in a premeditated attack in the Galwan Valley area after making an attempt to unilaterally change the status of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Read more

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said it is now clear that the Chinese attack in Galwan valley in Ladakh was "pre-planned" and that the government was "fast asleep" while the martyred jawans paid the price. Gandhi's attack comes ahead of the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday evening to discuss the situation along the India-China border. Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in a clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff in the region. Read more