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China-India border dispute: video of violent clash between soldiers goes viral
- Chinese military source says footage was probably recorded ‘a few months ago’
- Analyst says clash was not the one in which at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in June
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A video showing Chinese and Indian troops fighting with fists and sticks, apparently in a disputed border region, has gone viral on Chinese social media.
The footage, which is first of its kind ever to appear online, shows soldiers clashing close to a river. On June 15, a violent brawl broke out in the Galwan Valley in India’s Ladakh region, which left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. Beijing declined to say at the time how many casualties it suffered in the incident.
A Chinese military source said the video, which first appeared online on Tuesday night, was genuine and that it was taken “a few months ago”.
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The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the footage showed that the soldiers – by not using their firearms – had exercised restraint.
03:26
New video shows clash between Indian and Chinese troops on border for first time
New video shows clash between Indian and Chinese troops on border for first time
The footage showed the Chinese soldiers armed with sticks and riot shields. Some of the Indian soldiers had their rifles on their backs but did not fire them.
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A watermark on the video, which has been viewed millions of times, suggests it was recorded on a Chinese phone.
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