KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Thailand and Cambodia agreed Thursday to establish interim observer teams to monitor a fragile ceasefire that ended five days of of deadly armed border clashes, even as the fate of 18 Cambodian soldiers captured by Thailand remains unresolved.

The ceasefire is not merely a pause but a promise to protect lives, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, as Cambodia and Thailand recommitted to halting all military movements and attacks along their shared border.

Thailand and Cambodia agreed Thursday to extend a shaky ceasefire deal that followed five days of deadly hostilities along their border last month.In the first days of the truce, both Thailand and Cambodia accused each other of breaching the deal with limited skirmishes along their shared 800-kilometre (500-mile) border,