At least five paramilitary troops were killed and six civilians injured in an attack on a security checkpoint in southern Thailand, authorities said on Thursday.
The attack took place late on Wednesday in Ra-ngae district of Narathiwat province, where about 10 armed assailants opened fire and hurled pipe bombs at a checkpoint operated by a Ranger Company, according to the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC).
The five personnel were killed at the scene, while the attackers fled after stealing three AK-47 rifles, three bulletproof vests and three mobile phones from the soldiers. Authorities later found the attackers' pickup truck abandoned and set on fire about 21 kilometres (13 miles) from the scene.
Six civilians were also injured, including a 10-year-old boy who remained in stable condition in hospital, ISOC said.
Security forces sealed off the area and launched an operation to identify and apprehend those responsible. ISOC said it would "expedite the investigation and search for the perpetrators with the best efforts."
Decades-long conflict
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul condemned what he described as a "terrorist attack" that deliberately targeted government personnel and posed "a serious threat to national security," according to government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek.
The decades-long conflict has claimed more than 7,000 lives since 2004.
Footage broadcast by Thai PBS showed nearby homes damaged in the attack, with bullet holes visible in buildings and several vehicles destroyed.
