PATTANI – Eight policemen were injured, including four severely wounded, in a bomb blast in Sai Buri, Pattani, southern Thailand yesterday.
Pattani police chief Pichawut Sanguansombat said the incident happened at about 4.30pm local time, when eight personnel boarded a pickup truck to return to the police station after completing an operation in Kg Kadunong in Sai Buri.
“When we arrived at the scene, a home-made bomb weighing between 10kg and 20kg was detonated from a distance. In addition, the group of attackers also fired a barrage of shots at the pickup truck.
“The policeman in the truck was injured as a result of being hit by the fragments of the bomb.”
Pichawut does not rule out the possibility that the incident was motivated by revenge against security forces, after several men, believed to be militants, were killed in a shoot-out here recently.
The four seriously injured policemen were flown to Songklanagarind Hospital in Songkhla for further treatment, while four others were treated at Pattani Hospital.
Two militants were confirmed dead in a shooting incident in Kg Kedunong, Sai Buri, about 3km from the scene of the blast.
Fourth Division army commander Kriangkrai Srirak said security forces cordoned off the village after receiving information that a group of militants has been hiding there since July 5.
“Since then, we have used various methods to persuade them to surrender, but they refused.
“A shoot-out took place between militants and security forces on Friday afternoon, and lasted for four hours. Security forces found two bodies in a nearby forest on Saturday (yesterday).”
He said the dead militants were the remnants of members involved in a shooting incident in Sai Buri on July 5, which saw two militants killed and three security personnel injured. – Bernama, July 11, 2021
