Thai Prime Minister Condemns Terrorist Attack Killing Five Soldiers

Five paramilitary soldiers from the 45th Ranger Forces Regiment were killed and six civilians, including two children, wounded during an attack on the Bukeh Sami security checkpoint in Narathiwat province on July 22, 2026. Between six and ten assailants dressed in black arrived in a pickup truck and on motorcycles, using firearms and pipe bombs to assault the post. The attackers fled with three AK-47 rifles, three bulletproof vests, and several mobile phones.

Anutin Charnvirakul, the Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Thailand, condemned the incident as a terrorist attack and a serious threat to national security. He ordered a comprehensive manhunt for the perpetrators and instructed the defense minister to travel to the region to implement immediate and long-term anti-terrorism measures.

Security forces later discovered the attackers' abandoned pickup truck burned in the Si Sakhon district. The Internal Security Operations Command stated the vehicle was burned in an attempt to destroy evidence. This assault occurred one day after a car bomb injured a police officer at a different location in Narathiwat.

While no group has claimed responsibility, the region has been gripped by a separatist insurgency since 2004. Government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek stated the campaign undermines ongoing peace talks and threatens national security. The government has ordered the highest level of security measures in the area and pledged maximum compensation for the victims and their families.