Gunmen kill five rangers at Narathiwat checkpoint

Five paramilitary rangers were killed and five civilians, including children, were injured when six armed men attacked the Buketa Sami checkpoint in Ra-ngae district, Narathiwat, on 22 July 2026.

The attack began at 6.45pm at the checkpoint in Tan Yong Mat municipality, an area covered by Ranger Company 4509. The assailants fled after firing weapons and throwing pipe bombs, authorities said.

CCTV footage reportedly showed a co-ordinated convoy. A red Honda Wave 110 motorcycle acted as a lead vehicle, followed by a black four-door Nissan pickup carrying six men in black clothing and black wide-brimmed hats in its rear section.

A white Honda Wave motorcycle followed behind as an escort vehicle, according to the report.

Rangers and nearby residents hurt

The five rangers killed were Sergeant Major Thirayut Somakoet, 43; Ranger Volunteer Wimon Dapthong, 43; Ranger Volunteer Natsit Kaewsena, 34; Ranger Volunteer Solahuding Pi, 34; and Ranger Volunteer Sakiriya Chena, 23.

Five nearby civilians were also injured in the gunfire and blasts. They were identified as Habib, a boy; Muhammad Ali Abru; Farhah Abru; Muhammad Hafit Hina; and Awatif, a boy.

Officials and local residents took the injured to hospital urgently. The hospital did not give details of their conditions.

Pickup later burned about 30km away

After the attack, the group escaped in the pickup and motorcycles along Route 4055, travelling from Tan Yong Mat towards Dusongyo in Ra-ngae district.

Pictures courtesy of Amarin

Security forces immediately sealed off the scene and deployed police, soldiers and forensic officers. They were collecting bomb fragments and spent cartridge cases for DNA examination as part of efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible.

Later, the pickup believed to have been used in the attack was found burned in Kalisa subdistrict, Ra-ngae district, near the border with Si Sakhon district. It was on Khao Kanhua, around 30 kilometres from the checkpoint.

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23 July 2026