سقوط 32 قتيلاً.. احتدام المواجهات بين تايلند وكمبوديا

Cambodian officials announced the death of 12 people in the fighting with Thailand, which has entered its third day, raising the death toll from both sides to 32.

General Mali Suchata, the spokesperson for the National Defense Ministry in Cambodia, told reporters today (Saturday) that 7 other civilians and 5 soldiers were killed during two days of fighting.

Meanwhile, Thailand announced that 6 of its soldiers and 13 civilians, including children, were killed, while 59 people were injured, comprising 29 soldiers and 30 civilians.

The Cambodian ambassador to the United Nations reported that his country wants an immediate ceasefire with Thailand. Ambassador Chia Kieu stated after a closed meeting of the UN Security Council that his country requested an unconditional immediate ceasefire, calling for a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

He questioned, "How can they accuse us, when we are a small country with an army three times smaller, and without an air force... of attacking a large neighbor?" Kieu said the Security Council urged both sides to exercise maximum restraint and find a diplomatic solution.

The border conflict between the two Southeast Asian countries escalated over the past two days to an unprecedented level of violence since 2011, with the use of warplanes, tanks, ground troops, and artillery.

Tensions between the neighbors intensified on Thursday when clashes erupted along the border. In response, the Thai military stated that it had sent fighter jets to bomb Cambodian positions. Cambodia retaliated with artillery fire, which resulted in damage to areas including civilian infrastructure. A gas station and a hospital were bombed in Thailand. Each side blamed the other for starting the latest round of fighting.

According to local media reports, Thailand conducted additional airstrikes on Friday.