The Indian Air Force (IAF) will hold a training exercise on Thursday and Friday in its north-eastern states to “keep a close eye on Chinese troop movements across the entire Line of Actual Control”, after the major clash in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh last week, Times of India reported.
Rajnath Singh who is India’s defence minister said that Indian troops prevented Chinese soldiers from entering Indian territory on Dec. 9 during a border scuffle that led to injuries on both sides- a claim refuted by the Chinese side, who accused Indian frontline troopers of having crossed into the Chinese territory.
China said Indian troops had illegally crossed a de-facto border to block a routine patrol of Chinese troops.
In June 2020, a clash between China and Indian Army led to the death of 20 Indian and four Chinese troopers.
As per news reports, IAF scrambled jets during the latest clash in the Himalayan region of Tawang, located in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is also claimed by China.
The IAF said on Thursday its Eastern Air Command would conduct an exercise to train its crew. “This exercise was planned well in advance of the recent developments in Tawang and is not associated with these events,” it said.