Thailand and Cambodia renewed clashes over the disputed border escalated as the death toll increased.
According to BBC, in the past 48 hours of the attacks, at least 10 people have died, dozens of others were injured, and tens of thousands of people were forced to displace.
The Cambodian Ministry of National Defence on Tuesday, December 9, said that nine civilians have been killed and 20 wounded in the Thai attacks, while Thailand’s military reported three soldiers’ deaths and 29 injuries.
As per Thailand officials, more than 125,000 people are in temporary shelters because of evacuation due to attacks.
Cambodia’s powerful Senate President Hun Sen on Tuesday said their military was refraining from attacking but was forced to begin shooting overnight to “weaken and destroy enemy forces through counterattacks.”
The former prime minister stated, “Cambodia wants peace, but Cambodia is forced to fight back to defend its territory.”
The South Asian neighbours traded blame for the renewed clashes months after agreeing on a ceasefire.
Renewed fighting between two countries broke out on Sunday night after a Thai soldier was killed, shattering the US-backed fragile peace in place since July after five-day clashes.
The clashes at the time resulted in 48 deaths and displaced 300,000 people. However, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire agreement between them, which Thailand suspended last month after a landmine blast injured a soldier.
