skirmish

a conflict happening at a country's border

a conflict of little significance

a conflict that is not large in scale

a short conflict

a small, unimportant conflict

a conflict happening at the beginning of a larger event

the very first conflict in a series

the initial conflict that starts a larger engagement

indicates involvement or location within a conflict

used to identify the opposing sides in a skirmish

used to identify who one is fighting against

used to indicate the reason or subject of the conflict

used to describe the sudden start of a skirmish

indicates that a skirmish occurs

indicates that a skirmish is happening or in progress

a more formal way to say a skirmish happens

indicates that a skirmish does not stop