The Second Army Area announced on Thursday that its troops have secured the border areas at Chong Rayi and Chong Plod Tang passes in Surin and are making progress in securing Chong Khana Pass.

The Second Army Area’s Operations Centre made the announcement at 9am during its daily briefing on the border clashes.

The centre said that at 10.42pm on Wednesday, Cambodian troops bombarded Thai border areas with artillery and grenade launchers and also launched drone attacks against Thailand.

The Cambodian troops attacked several key positions, including Chong Bok, Chong Sangam, Chong An Ma, Prasat Khana, Prasat Ta Kwai and Thai territory at Khao Phra Wiharn.

The centre said the Second Army Area’s troops retaliated on an appropriate scale in line with the rules of engagement, using artillery and grenade launchers to strike key Cambodian military targets and prevent further attacks.

According to the centre, the retaliatory strikes caused severe damage to Cambodian forces, including military trucks and fire-support bases.

The centre declared that Thai troops had managed to seize control and secure the areas at Chong Rayi Pass and Chong Plod Tang Pass in Surin’s Kap Choeng district and had implemented measures to prevent further attacks from Cambodia.

It added that Thai troops were making progress in seizing control of key strategic positions at Chong Khana Pass in Kap Choeng, in line with the operational plan.

To maintain security behind the front line, the Second Army Area has coordinated with officials from the Department of Provincial Administration, civil authorities and village security teams to patrol and keep order in local communities.

The joint patrol teams are guarding villagers’ property and monitoring for possible Cambodian spies who might attempt to infiltrate into Thailand.