By Thai Newsroom Reporters
AS MANY AS 100 CAMBODIAN troops were reportedly killed and a number of others seriously injured due to Thai F-16 Fighting Falcon jets’ air strikes on a second day of border clashes yesterday (July 25).
A mini-squadron of the Thai air force’s F-16s armed with guided missiles and bombs flew sorties to bombard Cambodian-held positions around Pupee hill in vicinity of the disputed Tamuenthom area in Panom Dongrak district of Surin, reportedly inflicting some 100 fatalities among the invading Cambodian troops in addition to air strikes against those in Pumakhua hill and Preah Vihear area in Kantharalak district of Sisaket.
The F-16s conducted air-to-surface attacks against Cambodian army installations in Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces across the border from Surin and Sisaket and demolished a couple of Cambodian army brigades which had commanded the random firing of BM-21 Grad rockets onto Thai territory.
Thailand has accused Cambodia of evidently committing war crimes by aiming rockets from multiple rocket launchers and artillery shells at Thai civilian targets across the disputed border, inflicting a dozen of fatalities and many injuries on the Thai side.
Meanwhile, Thai army tanks and artillery units including 155mm, autonomous truck-mounted guns as well as army drones armed with guided bombs have mostly secured border areas whereas Cambodian forces have continued to launch ground offensives with support of rockets and artillery shells from inside Cambodia.
About 63,000 Thai villagers have been evacuated to makeshift shelters from border areas of Baan Kruad district of Buriram, Nam Yuen district of Ubon Ratchathani, Kantharalak district of Sisaket and Panom Dongrak and Karb Choeng districts of Surin where clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces have erupted for a second day yesterday.
In another development, the Thai navy today proclaimed several districts of Chanthaburi and a border district of Trat under martial law whereas about 5,000 Cambodian migrant workers have requested the Thai authorities to depart for their home country through Chanthaburi’s Baan Laem border checkpoint to Pailin township in Battambang province of Cambodia.
CAPTION:
File photos of Thai F-16 fighter jets, above, and a Thai air force pilot, Front Page. Credit: Naewna
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