US declines to confirm if it gave military intel to India during Chinese 'incursions'

During a daily news conference on Monday (20) John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House declined to confirm a news report that claimed the US provided real-time intelligence to the Indian military, which was instrumental in repelling Chinese "incursions" in the Himalayas last year.

"No, I can't confirm that," Kirby told reporters.

According to an exclusive report by US News, India successfully repelled a Chinese military incursion in the high Himalayas late last year with the help of crucial intelligence shared by the US military.

The unprecedented act of intelligence-sharing caught China's People's Liberation Army off-guard and angered Beijing, leading the Chinese Communist Party to reconsider its approach to land grabs along its borders.

On December 9, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a clash in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, resulting in minor injuries to personnel from both sides.

"The US government for the first time provided real-time details to its Indian counterparts of the Chinese positions and force strength in advance of a PLA incursion," the report said citing a source familiar with a previously unreported US intelligence review of the encounter into the Arunachal Pradesh region.

"The information included actionable satellite imagery and was more detailed and delivered more quickly than anything the US had previously shared with the Indian military," it said.

According to the report, despite the clash involving hundreds of troops using spiked clubs and Tasers, there were no fatalities, unlike previous confrontations. The clash resulted in only a few injuries and, notably, a retreat by the Chinese military.

An anonymous source stated that the success of India in repelling Chinese incursions in the Himalayas was due to the real-time intelligence sharing by the US military.

The source added that the incident demonstrated the successful cooperation between the two militaries. India has emphasised to China that peace in the border areas is necessary for normalising bilateral relations.

The relationship between the two countries deteriorated after a fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020.

(With inputs from PTI)