KATHMANDU, June 17: Chief of the Army Staff (CoAS) Purna Chandra Thapa and Inspector General (IG) of Armed Police Force (APF) Shailendra Khanal on Wednesday visited a border outpost (BOP) of the APF at Chhangru of Byas rural municipality in Darchula.

The APF outpost is near Kalapani, a Nepali territory controlled by Indian military forces for decades. 

During the visit, the heads of two security agencies received the briefing by APF team being deployed at APF BOP in Chhangru.  

Bigyan Dev Pandey, the spokesperson for the Nepal Army, told Republica Online that this is a routine visit by the CoAS to the area.

"The CoAS is visiting to inspect the newly established Far Western Division Headquarters Office in Dhangadhi. He also visited the army units in Darchula under the division today. This is a routine visit," he said.  

Thapa and Khanal also inspected a road from Chhangru to Tinkar Bhanjyang, which is currently being built by a Nepal Army team.  

After visiting Chhangru, CoAS Thapa and IG Khanal returned to Dhangadhi later in the afternoon.

CoAS Thapa and IG Khanal's visit to bordering Chhangru comes one and half months after India unilaterally constructed a strategic road link to Manasarovar of Tibetan Autonomous Region of China via Lipu Lekh, a Nepali territory, without Nepal's consent.  

India built a road from Pithoragadh of Uttarakhand State of India to Lipu Lekhbhanjyang via Gunji of Kalapani on the Nepali side of the border. 

A 25-member team has been stationed there to protect the bordering areas near Kalapani. 

 
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