Indian soldiers shot dead in Myanmar border clashes

Indian soldiers killed during an exchange of fire with Myanmar border police have been identified as Indian nationals, the army said Thursday. 

The troops were part of a joint operation between India and Myanmar on Saturday to stop the militants from reaching the border with India, the defence ministry said. 

Indian troops have been patrolling the border since December after the Myanmar military began conducting joint patrols with India in the region to curb cross-border trade and smuggling of opium and heroin.

The Indian troops were ambushed by the Myanmar border guards and three border patrol vehicles were damaged during the exchange of gunfire, the ministry said in a statement.

The soldiers sustained serious injuries and were evacuated to a nearby hospital, the statement said.

A border security official said Indian forces are also in the process of recovering one of the border patrol cars and the other vehicles were hit by artillery fire. 

On Sunday, India’s top general in the eastern state of Assam, D.N. Kishore, met the army chief of staff and the chief of army staff in the presence of the defence minister. 

“India’s soldiers have been deployed to Myanmar to protect the border, we have made sure that the Indian armed forces are fully protected and fully equipped to counter any cross-Border incidents, he told reporters.”

The Indian soldiers have also taken on the responsibility of guarding the border between Myanmar and India,” he said.

The ministry added that India’s border guards are also on the move and would soon be patrolling the frontier.