BANGKOK: CCTV footage has revealed how nine attackers carried out a deadly 90-second raid on the Bukeh Sami checkpoint in Narathiwat, killing five paramilitary rangers and injuring six civilians.
The attack happened at about 6.45pm on Wednesday (July 22), at the checkpoint in Village 7 of Tanyong Mat subdistrict, Ra-ngae district. The post was manned by members of the 4509th Ranger Company under the 45th Ranger Regiment Task Force.
Investigators initially believed six people were involved, but footage from cameras outside and across from the checkpoint later showed a nine-member group operating in two teams.
The first team consisted of seven people travelling in a black Nissan pickup registered in Songkhla as ผน 6866.
One drove the vehicle, while six others sat in the truck bed. They wore black clothing resembling paramilitary uniforms and broad-brimmed hats that partly hid their faces.
A second team followed on a red-and-white Honda Wave motorcycle. Its registration number could not be seen.
The rider wore a white shirt and a helmet and was reportedly carrying an 11mm pistol. The male passenger wore a black women’s hijab as a disguise and carried an AK-type rifle.
The motorcycle appeared to act as rear cover for the pickup as the group approached the checkpoint from Tanyong Mat market.
Three rangers were standing at the roadside checkpoint when the pickup slowed in front of them.
The attackers in the truck bed opened fire with M16 and AK-type rifles. After the three officers fell, the vehicle stopped and several members of the group got out.
They continued firing towards the checkpoint and its bunker, where two other rangers were stationed.
The attackers then searched the post and took weapons and equipment before returning to the pickup.
As the group fled, one attacker threw a pipe bomb towards an elevated structure near the bridge beside the checkpoint.
The pickup and motorcycle then headed towards Dusongyo subdistrict in Ra-ngae district.
All five rangers died at the scene.
They were identified as Sergeant Major First Class Theerayut Somakerd, ranger volunteers Sakiriya Jena, Wimon Dabthong, Nattasit Kaewsena and Salahuding Pi.
Six civilians were injured, including a 10-year-old boy. They were taken to hospitals in the area for treatment.
Early reports gave different civilian casualty figures, ranging from two to five, before the later total of six was reported.
CCTV shows nine attackers raiding Narathiwat checkpoint in 90 seconds
Narathiwat Governor Boonchuay Homyamyen joined senior police and military officers in overseeing the overnight examination of the scene.
Among them were Provincial Police Region 9 commissioner Pol Lt Gen Piyawat Chalermsri, Narathiwat police chief Pol Maj Gen Prayong Khot Sakha and Col Witthaya Sariya, commander of the 45th Ranger Regiment Task Force.
Bomb-disposal officers, tactical police and forensic teams worked through the night to collect evidence.
More than 100 spent cartridge cases were found scattered across the road, including rounds associated with M16 and AK-type rifles and an 11mm pistol.
Investigators also found ammunition believed to have been ejected when the attackers cleared jammed weapons.
The checkpoint bunker was riddled with bullet marks, while evidence from the pipe bomb was recovered near the raised structure beside the bridge.
Investigators found that the attackers had taken four folding-stock AK-type rifles, one 11mm pistol and four ammunition magazines.
Four bulletproof vests were also reported missing.
Authorities were still checking the full inventory because early accounts gave differing details about the number and type of items taken.
The pickup believed to have been used in the attack was later found abandoned and burnt, apparently in an attempt to destroy evidence.
Security forces set up checkpoints and roadblocks along possible escape routes soon after the attack.
Units across the area were told to tighten security, increase patrols and remain alert for any further violence.
Gen Chaiyapruek Duangprapat, the Royal Thai Army chief of staff and secretary-general of the Internal Security Operations Command, was ordered to travel urgently to Narathiwat on Thursday.
He was tasked with assessing the situation and co-ordinating the response among military, police and administrative agencies.
The search for the attackers continued as investigators reviewed CCTV footage, traced the vehicles used in the raid and examined forensic evidence collected from the checkpoint. - The Nation/ANN
