‘Aggressive’ Clash Between China, India Leaves 11 Troops Hurt, No Clue On How It Started

Indian and Chinese soldiers indulged in an aggressive clash at the border along the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim, the Indian Defence Ministry confirmed in a statement on Sunday.

The Indian Defence Ministry, who blamed both sides for the skirmish on the border, did not reveal or mention what and who started the arguments. It is believed that some arguments between the troops led to the clash.

The skirmish has left about 11 soldiers hurt. Of there, four soldiers are from the Indian side, while the remaining seven are from the Chinese side.

According to the statement released by the Indian Defence Ministry, such a "temporary and short" face-off between troops from both countries are common and regular, and they primarily result because there is no clarity on the border that both the countries share in the area.

The land border between India and China is the world’s longest. After the greatest Indian-Chinese war of 1962, such face-off between the armies have become a common occurrence and have happened sporadically over the last four decades ever since.

The Defence Ministry in India confirmed that the face-off between the soldiers took place in the Nakula area but did not confirm the nature of the injuries or what hurt the soldiers. But it did say that the soldiers suffer from “minor” injuries.

The conflict settled between the troops after the local intervention.

"The two sides disengaged after dialogue and interaction at a local level. Troops resolve such issues mutually as per established protocols," said India’s spokesperson from the Ministry of Defence.

China's Ministry of Defense, however, has not released any official statement on the conflict across the border. There is a long-standing history of both countries blaming each other for intrusion into the territory, however, clashes causing injury to soldiers from either side of the border are rare.

One of the most serious conflicts between India and China after 1962 has been the Doklam conflict of 2017. The Indians objected to the Chinese construction of the highway in the Himalayan area. Following the conflict, both the countries deployed hundreds of troops Doklam plateau, which is nearby to the borders of India, China and Bhutan.