10 soldiers dead in militant ambush in Thailand

Bangkok, Jun 1: Ten soldiers were killed when a bomb exploded under their vehicle which was then attacked by militants and five worshippers were gunned down in a mosque overnight in continuing separatist violence in Thailand's Muslim-majority southern border region.

Suspected Islamic militants planted the explosive under the surface of the road and set it off remotely when the troop carrier passed in Yala province They then opened fire, killing eight soldiers and seriously injuring two who were declared dead on reaching the hospital.

In a separate incident in adjoining Songkla province, five villagers were shot dead in a mosque.

More than 2,200 people are estimated to have died over the past three and a half years in insurgent violence rocking Thailand's three border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Nartahiwat.

UNI