A clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers that left at least 20 Indian troops dead saw soldiers clubbing others with batons wrapped in barbed wire, according to the Financial Times. Brutal details of the skirmish were reported a day after violence erupted in a disputed Himalayan area near the Chinese border. Both sides insist no shots were fired, as part of a longstanding pact, but improvised weapons such as iron bars, rocks, and barbed-wire clubs were reportedly used. Indian media reported that the fight took place in near-darkness on a narrow mountain ridge. Some Indian soldiers reportedly plunged from the ridge into a deep ravine. It was the first deadly clash between the two sides in the area for at least 45 years. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered an ominous warning Wednesday morning that the deaths of the 20 Indian soldiers “will not be in vain.” He said: “Their sacrifices wouldn’t go to waste. For us, the unity and sovereignty of the country is the most important. India wants peace but when provoked, it is capable of giving a fitting reply be it any kind of situation.”
