Fighting has flared up several times this year since a Cambodian soldier was killed in a May skirmish, as decades-old tensions over the border territory persist.

SURIN, Thailand -- Three Thai civilians were killed as heavy combat continued along the country's border with Cambodia, the Thai military said Thursday, marking the country's first civilian fatalities since the fighting resumed.

Trump announced the agreement to restart the ceasefire in a social media posting following calls with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

The escalation broke the ceasefire brokered in July by Trump who threatened to halt trade talks with the two countries unless they ended the fight.

President Donald Trump says Thai and Cambodian leaders have agreed to renew a truce after days of deadly clashes threatened to undo a ceasefire he helped broker earlier this year