At least 12 people have died since hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia began on Thursday morning, according to Thai officials.
Both nations blamed each other for initiating fire in a significant intensification of their ongoing border conflict.
The Thai military initially reported a civilian death count of nine, mentioning that six individuals perished in Sisaket province, two in Surin province, and one in Ubon Ratchathani province. According to Thai officials, at least 17 additional people have been injured.
Cambodia, which has not yet released its own death toll, stated that Thai aircraft bombed a road close to the historic Preah Vihear temple.
The conflict started on Thursday morning near the historic Ta Muen Thom temple, located along the border between Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.
It follows several months of increased tensions between the neighboring countries, after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border clash in May.
The Thai military reported that six armed Cambodian soldiers fired shots near one of its bases on Thursday, while Cambodia accused Thailand of instigating the most recent conflicts.
In a statement released on Thursday, Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “strongest possible condemnation of this reckless and aggressive action by Thailand,” calling on its neighbor to stop the hostilities.
The foreign ministry of Thailand also released a comparable statement, urging Cambodia to put the escalation to a halt.
“The Government of Thailand urges Cambodia to assume responsibility for the events that have taken place, halt attacks on civilian and military targets, and cease all actions that breach Thailand’s sovereignty,” it stated.
Both Cambodia and Thailand have reduced their diplomatic ties since Wednesday, with Cambodia withdrawing its diplomatic personnel and expelling the Thai ambassador on Thursday.
Thailand closed all land border checkpoints with Cambodia after a landmine explosion on Wednesday injured five Thai soldiers, one of whom suffered a leg loss.
Thai officials state that Cambodian forces have recently placed mines in areas that were once considered secure, a claim that Cambodia firmly denies, asserting that these are remnants from past conflicts and instability.
The territorial conflict between the two nations began over a hundred years ago, after France ceased its occupation of Cambodia.
