Stakna (Ladakh), Jul 17 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday witnessed a military drill involving a fleet of attack helicopters, tanks, infantry combat vehicles and ground commandos at a high-altitude forward base here.

In the drill, the Army and Air Force displayed combat readiness in the region where India and China are engaged in a bitter border standoff.

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A large number of ground commandos, tanks, BMP infantry combat vehicles, Apache, Rudra and Mi-17 V5 helicopters, took part in the drill at Stakna.

Troops also carried out para dropping and slithering exercises in the presence of Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane.

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"Witnessed the Fire and Fury of the Indian Army during the Para Dropping and other military demonstrations at Stakna near Leh today," Singh later tweeted.

"Also, I got the opportunity to interact with them. I am proud of these brave and courageous soldiers," he said and posted pictures of his interaction with the military personnel.

Singh arrived in Ladakh in the morning on a day-long visit accompanied by General Rawat and General Naravane.

Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for over eight weeks since May 5.

The tension escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

However, following a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides began a mutual disengagement process on July 6 and withdrew troops from most of the friction points.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)