Two Asian countries, Thailand and Cambodia, have entered into armed conflict along their disputed border after several weeks of growing tensions. According to authorities, at least two Thai civilians were killed in the fighting, and the Thai army launched air strikes on military targets in Cambodia on Thursday.
According to a statement by the army command, Cambodia opened fire on the border area in Sisaket province at 09:40, using multiple rocket launchers. In response, six Thai F-16 fighter jets were deployed to carry out retaliatory air strikes on Cambodian positions.
“At 10:58, the pilots reported the successful destruction of targets — the locations of the 8th and 9th infantry battalions of the Cambodian army,” the official statement said.
Earlier, a representative of one of Thailand’s districts reported that two civilians were killed and two others wounded in morning shelling from Cambodia.
The head of the Kabcheong district (Surin province), Suttirut Charoen, said that about 40,000 people from 86 villages had been evacuated to safe areas.
The Cambodian Ministry of Defence confirmed the air strikes by Thailand, specifying that Thai fighter jets dropped two bombs on a road.
Military tensions between the countries have been growing in recent months. The first serious incident was an armed clash in May, which resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier in the disputed territory.