Nine Thai soldiers have been killed since renewed fighting broke out along the border with Cambodia on Sunday, the Thai Ministry of Defence announced Thursday.
“At total so far, nine soldiers have been killed,” said ministry spokesman Surasant Kongsiri at a press conference, noting that earlier reports had put the Thai death toll at five.
The updated military casualties bring the total number of fatalities in the latest round of clashes to 19, with Cambodian authorities reporting ten civilian deaths, including a child, on their side of the border.
The clashes, which erupted in contested areas along the long shared border, have forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes amid heavy artillery exchanges and rocket fire.
Both Thailand and Cambodia deny responsibility for igniting the current fighting and continue to accuse each other of initiating hostilities. Attempts by international mediators to restore calm have so far yielded limited progress.
