According to the ministry, at around 10:00 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m. GMT) on December 24, Thailand used F-16 jets to drop six bombs near Phnom Sampov in Banan district of Battambang Province in northwestern Cambodia, News.Az reports, citing the Khmer Times newspaper.
The ministry said residents were forced to flee what it described as Thai aerial aggression.
The Khmer Times earlier reported that Thai artillery fire and airstrikes have damaged or destroyed extensive civilian and public infrastructure in Cambodian border areas. The reported damage includes 111 private homes, five schools, three medical centers, a market, warehouses, several ancient temples and pagodas, 11 administrative buildings, five hotels, several bridges, a gas station and 28 vehicles.
Clashes involving small arms began on December 7 along the Thailand–Cambodia border. The Cambodian National Defense Ministry said Thai armed forces carried out a series of provocative actions in border areas over several days, seeking to escalate a new round of confrontation, before launching attacks on Cambodian army positions.
The Royal Thai Army, however, said Cambodian forces had initiated artillery strikes on Thai positions in the border region. It said Thai troops responded by targeting Cambodian military infrastructure in order to seize control of key areas and inflict damage on opposing forces.
