Remains of US Servicemen Missing Since WWII Recovered Near Indo-China Border

After initial Indian hesitation, a US military agency had started an expedition in India to recover the remains of airmen who had died in the air dominance and transport operations in the India-Burma-China theatre during the World War II. The Agency has announced a recovery after a two-week search.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – After spending two weeks at sites where US aircraft are believed to have crashed during Second World War in the India-Burma-China theatre, the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has found the remains of American servicemen. The DPAA team visited several locations in Arunachal Pradesh and collected the remains from a dense forest area near Bhismaknagar in Lower Dibang Valley district of Indian northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The DPAA team is looking for 400 missing US servicemen who have remained unaccounted since World War II.

U.S. and India Search for WWII American Airmen in Bhismaknagar Village, Arunachal Pradesh pic.twitter.com/TuRYjIAYCG

— Sidhant (@sidhant) 20 декабря 2016 г.

In year 2004, US agency had started the expedition in India territory after a US Military Intelligence officer claimed to have identified the precise crash site of a transport aircraft with five crew members listed as missing. But after five years, India had suspended permission to execute search mission without citing any reason. US President Barack Obama had requested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give the nod to resume the suspended search operation in January 2015. The Indian government had given the nod only after families and supporters of America's Arunachal Missing in Action Servicemen (MIAS) wrote an emotive letter in favour of resuming the search operation.

"While discussing the sites with local residents, the team received a presentation of human remains and osseous material, which a witness recovered near the wreckage of a crashed aircraft.  After arriving at the site, the team found additional human remains believed to be associated with missing US service members. Once approved by the Indian government, these remains will be sent to the DPAA Laboratory with the goal of identification," read a US embassy releasei.

All the sites were located within the Indian northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is where the vast majority of losses occurred to support logistics for "The Hump'' operation. Last year the DPAA had recovered human remains from the same region.  In April, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter had received the remains from the Indian government and the DPAA is working to identify them.