BOMB AMBUSH

Thai army patrol hit by roadside bombs before insurgents open fire killing one and injuring 20 in bloody attack

The horrific assault, which also left two civilians injured, was carried out in Thailand's violence-stricken deep south

Mark Hodge

Published: 11:20, 14 Sep 2017
Updated: 12:47, 14 Sep 2017

BLOODIED soldiers scream in agony after a deadly bomb attack in Thailand which killed one and injured 20.

The horrifying ambush was carried out by suspected rebels in the southeast Asian country’s violence-stricken deep south.

Thai police and bomb squad officers rush to help injured soldiers from the scene of a bomb attackCredit: EPA

The deadly assault in southeast Thailand left one soldier dead and 20 people injuredCredit: EPA

The attack began early Thursday when a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying the army rangers in a remote village in the Yaha district of Yala province.

A second explosive was detonated half an hour later as bomb squad experts arrived to clear the scene, followed by a shootout in which suspected militants peppered the security forces with fire.

The Muslim-majority region that borders Malaysia has been embroiled in violence for more than a decade as ethnic Malay insurgents battle the Buddhist state for more control in the area.

More than 6,800 people have died - the majority civilians - in a conflict that grinds on far from international headlines.

One of the wounded men is carried to safety by a colleague after the bomb and gun attackCredit: EPA

An injured man, stained with blood, is pictured in the back of an emergency vehicleCredit: Reuters

Southern army spokesman Colonel Pramote Prom-in said a lance corporal had died from his injuries in the latest assault.

He confirmed that 18 other soldiers were wounded and "two villagers were slightly injured".

The attack comes as the Thai junta holds talks with an umbrella group claiming to represent the rebels to set up “safety zones” in the south as a form of limited ceasefire in a conflict which has raged since 2004.

But experts say the main faction with command and control over the insurgents is not committed to the talks with Thailand's military leaders, who seized power in 2014.

The shadowy Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) is believed to be behind most of the violence in the region, although it never claims attacks and shuns publicity.