Three suspected insurgent attacks across the southern border provinces in two days have disrupted a major highway, killed a village defence volunteer and injured a family of four.
The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 Forward Command said a 10-wheel truck belonging to Betong-Sanyajai Transport was set ablaze by suspected insurgents late on Friday near a bridge in Bannang Sata district, Yala.
The truck was destroyed, forcing authorities to close part of Highway 410, the main Yala-Betong route, while officials cleared the scene and examined the area. Motorists were advised to use an alternative route.
Sunday morning, Abdulloh Yama, a member of the Volunteer Defence Corps assigned to Yarang district, Pattani, was shot dead while returning home after taking his child to school.
Police said men armed with a 9mm handgun ambushed the victim on a village road in Moo 4 of tambon Mo Mawi. Authorities have sealed off the area, collected forensic evidence and launched a manhunt.
Meanwhile, a roadside bomb wounded four members of a family, including two children aged two years and eight months, in Thung Yang Daeng district of Pattani on Friday evening.
The family's pickup truck was passing a religious school when a bomb buried beneath the road detonated, sending the vehicle airborne before it skidded about 50 metres. The four suffered concussion-related injuries, including hearing loss and chest pain, but none were struck by shrapnel. All remain under medical care.
Bomb disposal officers said the device contained about 15kg of explosives. The blast left a crater about 1m deep and scattered debris over a wide area.
Security officials believe insurgents were responsible but likely mistook the family's pickup for a government vehicle. They said the bombing appeared intended to fuel unrest, spread fear among residents and undermine public confidence in security efforts.
