India, US armies hold exercises close to China border

By RISHI LEKHI and MANISH SWARUP
Associated Press

AULI, India (AP) — Indian and U.S. troops have participated in a high-altitude training exercise in a cold, mountainous terrain near India’s disputed border with China, at a time both countries are trying to manage rising tensions with Beijing. During the exercise, Indian soldiers were dropped from helicopters to flush out gunmen from a house in a demonstration of unarmed combat skills. Other drills involved sniffer dogs and unmanned bomb-disposing vehicles to diffuse explosives, and trained kites were deployed to destroy small enemy drones. The “Yudh Abhyas” exercise has alternated between the U.S. and India since it began in the early 2000s. This year it is being held only about 62 miles from the Line of Actual Control, a disputed border that separates Chinese and Indian-held territories.