China uses these yak patrol teams to enforce claims over its disputed western borders
China's yak patrol teams are responsible for guarding the Chinese border in some of the most inhospitable land on earth.
The teams are responsible for securing the Pamir mountains in the far west of China.
The Pamirs are largely uninhabited along the border.
As the region lacks transportation infrastructure, yaks present the most reliable method of travel.
At its highest point, the Pamirs within China's border can rise to 13,000 feet above sea level.
Among the locations that the soldiers patrol among the Pamirs are locations known as "Death Valley" and the "Blood-Stained Path."
Despite the remoteness of the border, the patrols are of important political significance.
The border was originally contested between India, Pakistan, and China. However, an agreement solidified Pakistan and China's border.
India does not recognize the deal, and still claims portions of the land as its own.
Additionally, the yak patrols play a role in enforcing Chinese security in otherwise unguarded portions of Xinjiang province.
The province is facing an upswing in religious and political violence from Uighur separatists.
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