10:38 PM
specialshowtoday
A soldier was killed and 19 others injured,
with one in critical condition, by a road bomb in Yala’s Krong Pinang
district on Wednesday night, police said.
A soldier was killed and 19 others injured by a roadside bombing in Yala on Wednesday night. (Photo by Maluding Deeto)According to witnesses, the explosion tore through a military bus carrying soldiers returning from overseeing conscription in Bannang Sata district.
The 15kg improvised explosive was contained in fertiliser sacks.
Gunmen hiding in roadside forest then sprayed bullets at the soldiers with assault rifles. The soldiers fired back and the attackers withdrew about 15 minutes later.
The explosion wounded 20 soldiers on the bus, two of them, Sgt Chatree Promratch, 27, and Staff Sgt Boonliang Chaichana, 53, were in critical condition. They all were taken to Yala hospital. Staff Sgt Boonliang was later pronounced dead.
Police blamed an insurgent group led by Isma-air Rayalong, which has been active inciting unrest in the southernmost province of Yala.
Spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, Col Pramote Promin, said on Thursday that the bombing in Krong Pinang would not have any impact on military conscription in the area.
He expressed sorrow for family members of the dead and injured soldiers and said Isoc will provide full assistance for them.
Col Pramote said security measures to ensure the safety of travelling soldiers in the three southernmost provinces were already in place, but would now have to be reviewed and improved.
According to Deep South Watch, which monitors the southern violence, more than 5,000 people have been killed and over 9,000 injured in more than 11,000 incidents, or about 3.5 a day, in the three southernmost provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004.
Posted in: World news
0 comments:
Post a Comment