Explosion and gunfight kill seven soliders in Yala
Yala - A powerful roadside bombing followed by a brief gunfight killed seven and injured one soldier assigned to the deep South as part of security details for teachers in Banang Sta district.
Authority said the insurgents shot at close range at the head of the seven injured soldiers following the bomb attack. The eighth soldier, who suffered injuries form the explosive, managed to fled the scene. Insurgents also took all seven M16 belonging to the dead soldiers as they retreat to the wooded area. Roads leading to the scene were blocked off with spikes laid out by insurgents to stall reinforcement or hot pursuit. A Blackhawk helicopter had to be dispatch to airlift the seven victims. The Friday ambush was similar to the slaying of 12 soldiers on May 31, which was the single deadliest attack on security officials. Friday's attack followed a night of deadly unrest around the region, with three local Muslim leaders killed and the fourth injured in a shooting attack on their car in Pattani's Mai Kaen district. The week also saw dozens of public schools coming under arson attacks and three Muslim religious leaders killed in separate attacks. Local villagers organised mass protest and blamed the deaths on the army and demanded authorities bring the culprits to justice. The Nation
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