YALA - A suspected RKK insurgent was killed in a shootout with security officials in Raman district in the early hours of Saturday.
Acting on intelligence that an RKK leader hid in a house, a joint team of around 30 police, soldiers and rangers surrounded a house in tambon Kor Tor Tuera at around 1.05am on Saturday.
The suspected separatist shot at the officials, prompting them to fire back.
After the 10-minute exchange of gunfire ended, authorities found one man dead with several shots in the face and allegedly with a 9mm pistol by his side.
The body was sent for an autopsy before returning to his relatives for a burial.
The man was identified as Sorbri Buenae, 32, of Pado subdistrict in the provinces, a core leader who operated in tambons Kor Tor Tuera, A-song and Noen Ngam.
The security official alleged he was a bomb maker who planted the explosives at eight banks in the provinces in 2006.
Further checks found he was wanted on arrest warrants issued in 2006, 2007 and 2014 on charges of terrorism, illegal association and collaborating to kill others in Muang district.
The Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK), meaning "Small Patrol Units", is a militant Islamic insurgent group operating in southern Thailand.
