Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia after shelling kills Thai soldier

Thailand launched airstrikes on Cambodian military positions on Monday morning after Cambodian shelling killed a Thai soldier and injured several others along the tense border region, Bangkok Post reported.

 

According to the Royal Thai Army, Cambodian forces fired shells and rockets at Thai military and civilian areas around 7 am in the Chong Bok area of Nam Yuen district. One Thai soldier was killed, and four others were injured in the attack.

 

Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree said Thai troops returned fire and later used fighter jets to strike Cambodian locations to halt the incoming attacks, Bangkok Post reported.

 

"The target was at Cambodia's arms supporting positions in the area of Chong An Ma Pass, because those targets had used artillery and mortar launchers to attack the Thai side at Anupong Base," he added as per CNN.

 

The 2nd Army Region also reported that around 8.30 am, rockets fired from Cambodian BM-21 launchers hit Ban Sai Tho 10 in Ban Kruat district of Buri Ram province.

 

Cambodia, meanwhile, accused Thailand of initiating Monday's violence.

 

"It should be noted that this attack occurred after the Thai forces engaged in numerous provocative actions for many days," the Cambodian army said, claiming Thai forces struck first at around 5.04 am.

 

Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence accused Thai military forces of launching "brutal and inhumane" attacks on Cambodian troops along the border in Preah Vihear province, calling the incident a serious violation of the peace agreement signed during the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.

 

The fresh clashes come only weeks after Thailand suspended a peace agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur in late October. The pact, witnessed by US President Donald Trump, was presented as a major diplomatic breakthrough. Thailand paused its commitments to the agreement in November after a landmine blast injured two of its soldiers.

 

The latest escalation also follows Trump's recent comments in Washington, where he claimed to have settled 8 wars in 10 months because of the rights clearly given to the president of the United States." Cambodia and Thailand were among them.

 

Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia stretch back decades, rooted in disputes over colonial-era maps. The frontier has seen repeated clashes, most recently in July, when fighting involving jets, missiles and ground troops killed dozens and displaced nearly 200,000 people.