Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodian forces amid escalating border tensions

Thai and Cambodian troops exchange fire (File image: AFP)

Thailand has launched airstrikes on Cambodian military positions along their disputed border on Thursday, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two nations.

The confrontation erupted after Thai and Cambodian forces exchanged gunfire near the contested area surrounding the ancient Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple in Thailand’s Surin province early Thursday morning, raising fears of a broader conflict.

This follows a landmine explosion that seriously injured a Thai soldier, an incident that has pushed bilateral relations to their lowest point in years.

Thailand has accused Cambodia of placing landmines in the disputed border area, a claim Phnom Penh denies. Cambodian authorities contend that the Thai soldiers strayed from agreed patrol routes and triggered an old mine left over from past conflicts.

Cambodia responded by announcing a downgrade in diplomatic ties with Thailand, recalling all its embassy staff from Bangkok.

Thai officials stated that the incident occurred on July 16, when soldiers patrolling the Thai side of the disputed border near Ubon Ratchathani and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Province were injured by a landmine, with one soldier losing a foot.

Thailand’s Deputy Army spokesperson Col. Richa Suksuwanont said the airstrikes were aimed only at military targets.

Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbors have significantly worsened since May, after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a clash in one of several disputed border areas claimed by both countries.