Three Thai civilians were killed as heavy combat continued along the country’s border with Cambodia, the Thai military said on Thursday, marking the country’s first civilian fatalities since the fighting resumed.
The latest large-scale fighting was set off by a skirmish on Sunday that wounded two Thai soldiers and derailed a ceasefire pushed by US President Donald Trump that ended five days of combat in July over long-standing territorial disputes.
About two dozen people have been reported killed in the latest fighting, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced on both sides of the border and relocated to temporary shelters or moved to stay with relatives.
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A Thai army statement said Cambodia on Wednesday night launched an attack with artillery and mortars against Thai positions, to which it replied with the same kinds of heavy weapons, causing damage including “the destruction of enemy trucks”.
Cambodia’s Fresh News online news site, which closely reflects government positions, said artillery duels were continuing on Thursday morning.
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The combat has drawn international concern, including from Pope Leo, who told an audience at the Vatican that he was “deeply saddened by the news of the renewed conflict”.