Thailand strikes Cambodia after both sides trade blame for opening fire along border
Six F-16 figheter jets were deployed from Ubon Ratchathani province, hitting two 'Cambodian military targets on the ground', according to deputy spokesperson of the Thai army Ritcha Suksuwanon.
A Cambodian artillery strike has killed a Thai civilian, the office of Thailand's prime minister said.
'A Cambodian artillery shell hit a Thai civilian's home, killing one, with a five-year-old child critically injured and two others wounded,' the prime minister's office said in a statement.
The Thai army condemned what it called a 'targeted attack on civilians' by Cambodian forces, saying two BM-21 rockets had hit a community in Surin province's Kap Choeng district, wounding three people.
The Thai embassy in Cambodia has urged Thai citizens to leave the country 'as soon as possible'.
Today's exchanges of fire mark the latest flare-up in a long-running row over border demarcation near two ancient temples.
The neighbours are locked in a decades-long dispute over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet.
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Earlier this morning, both sides traded blame for kicking off the fighting.
'The Thai military violated the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia by launching an armed assault on Cambodian forces stationed to defend the nation's sovereign territory,' defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said in a statement.
'In response, the Cambodian armed forces exercised their legitimate right to self-defense, in full accordance with international law, to repel the Thai incursion and protect Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.'
The Thai army blamed Cambodian solders for firing first.
According to the Thai army, the clashes began around 7:35 am (local time) when a unit guarding Ta Muen temple heard a Cambodian drone overhead.
Later, six armed Cambodian soldiers, including one carrying a rocket-propelled grenade, approached a barbed-wired fence in front of the Thai post, the army said.
Thai soldiers shouted to warn them, the army said, but around 8:20 am, Cambodian forces opened fire toward the eastern side of the temple, about 200 metres from the Thai base.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said 'the situation requires careful handling, and we must act in accordance with international law'.
'We will do our best to protect our sovereignty,' he said.
With reporting from AFP
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