Pattani: Four men, one of them with a possible link to a bombing in Bangkok two years ago, died in two related clashes with security forces in Sai Buri district over the course of seven days, according to the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc).
A combined forces of soldiers, police and local leaders went after two groups of suspected insurgents -- one that had fled into a village in Ban Bua Nae Badae and the other which had commandeered an empty local religious school. Both locations are in Sai Buri district.
The two groups are believed to be members of the same network of suspected insurgents.
The two incidents took place between July 5 and Sunday, according to Isoc's forward command spokesman Col Kiattisak Neewong.
He said local authorities had learned an unknown number of suspected insurgents had gone into hiding in a forest at Ban Chamao Samton. The combined force was mobilised to try and round up the suspects, several of whom face arrest warrants on security-related charges.
As the authorities were raiding the site, the suspects fired gunshots at them before splitting into two groups to make their escape.
The first group later seized a school building in tambon Trohbon and fought off security forces trying to retake the building by throwing grenades at them, injuring three officers.
The siege lasted days before security officers stormed the building. The exchanges of gunfight left two suspected insurgents -- identified as Kumaidi Reeji, 33, and Amri Maming, 26, dead.
Found beside Kumaidi's body was an AK-47 assault rifle. He was wanted in connection with the robbery of a gold shop in Na Thawi district of Songkhla in August 2019.
Amri was also in possession of firearms including a pistol, an AK-47 assault rifle and a hand grenade. Multiple charges had been pressed against him including being member of a group which engineered bomb attacks in Bangkok on Aug 2, 2019.
Meanwhile, about 20 kilometres from the school, the other suspected insurgent group of six or seven suspects engaged in clashes with authorities from their hiding place in a forest near Ban Bua Nae Badae village.
Religious leaders tried in vain to talk the group members into surrendering, but they fled after two, Sulaiman Doloh and Isman Sama-ae, were killed in exchanges of gunfire. There was an outstanding warrant for the arrest of Sulaiman over his role in a bomb attack on security officers on Sept 22, 2017 in Sai Buri district.