Two alleged militants killed in southern Thai shootout
The two militants had seven arrest warrants for shooting and bombing attacks.
PATTANI: Two suspected militants died in a shootout with the police in the restive southern Thai province of Pattani on Wednesday (Aug. 16), it has been reported.
Pattani police chief Archan Chansiri said security forces surrounded a house believed to be the hiding place of the two men in Koh Morkaeng village, Nong Chik district, at about 3am (local time).
"We tried to persuade the two men who were hiding in the house to surrender but failed, they even opened fire at the security forces when they tried to escape,” Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted him as saying.
"The firefight lasted for about 10 minutes. When the situation calmed down, we found a dead body in the compound of the house.
"Another firefight happened at about 10.30 am (local time). The security team found another body on the second floor of the house.”
The two suspects, aged 33 and 37, had seven arrest warrants in Pattani related to shooting and bombing attacks, added the police chief.
Thailand’s Deep South, a region that encompasses the three provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala, and four districts of neighboring Songkhla province, is a hotbed of separatist insurgencies.