Indian And Chinese Forces Involved In A Day-Long Face-Off At Ladakh

Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a prolonged confrontation on Wednesday in eastern Ladakh. This corresponds with the Indian Army’s plan to test its new Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs), which would give India an edge while striking across border, in Arunachal Pradesh with a major war game.

According to sources, the face off between the rival armies took place at dawn on the 134-kilometer-long Pangong Tso which extends from Tibet to Ladakh. The People's Liberation Army confronted the Indian soldiers while they were on patrol in the area. Both sides sent in reinforcements and the confrontation continued till evening.

“Such incidents often take place due to differing perceptions of where the Line of Actual Control (LAC) actually lies…..they are usually resolved through border personnel meetings, flag meeting and the like," an Indian Army soldier told TOI.

Two thirds of the Pangong lake is controlled by China.

Earlier the disputed mountain spurs of "Finger-5 to Finger-8" had witnessed violent clashes involving stones and iron rods between the two nations which left soldiers injured.

That incident had coincided with the even severe Dokhlam standoff where the two armies had engaged at the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri junction for 73 days. The helipads and the military infrastructure constructed by the PLA was cited as the reason behind the standoff.

The latest clashes at Ladakh come at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a second informal summit.

The Indian army is also expected to hold its “Him Vijay” war game exercise in the same time frame, which according to sources has not been informed to China. The test will see 15,000 Indian soldiers from the 17 Mountain Strike Corps in three IBGs put to test in terms of liability and logistics related to mountain warfare.

C-17s, C-130Js and AN-32 aircrafts will be deployed by the IAF to airlift soldiers and equipments and also to carry out inter valley transfers. The IBGs are formed in such a way that they can mobilise fast and strike deadly blows in cross border conflicts with China and Pakistan.

The IBGs for western front has already been tested in the plains of Jammu during April-May.