Thailand launches manhunt after 5 soldiers killed, civilians injured in deep south

About 10 attackers opened fire and threw pipe bombs at soldiers at a security checkpoint near a residential area in Narathiwat province on Wednesday evening before fleeing, according to the regional Internal Security Operations Command. Six civilians were injured during the attack, including a 10-year-old boy who remains hospitalised in stable condition.

Photos released by authorities showed a group identified as the attackers, dressed in black clothing and hats and riding on the back of a black pickup truck at around 6.45pm. Security officials said the truck was later found abandoned and set on fire about 21km (13 miles) away from the scene.

They said the attackers had stolen three AK-47 rifles, three bulletproof vests and three mobile phones from the soldiers.

Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani are Thailand’s southernmost provinces and the only ones with Muslim majorities in the predominantly Buddhist nation. Since 2004, the provinces have been the site of a Muslim separatist insurgency that has killed thousands.

Muslim residents have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens in Thailand, and separatist movements have been periodically active for decades. Heavy-handed crackdowns have fuelled the discontent. Fighting continues to this day, but at a lower level.