Roadside bombing injures five soldiers in Yala

YALA: -- Five soldiers were injured, three seriously, after southern militants detonated a homemade bomb while a government unit was on a routine patrol on the road from Yaha to Baro in Yaha district of Yala province Thursday morning.

Yaha police said the bomb attack on a group of army rangers from the 47th Ranger Regiment happened at Ban Kaela in Yaha district.

A 10-kilo bomb was detonated immediately after the patrolmen passed the village.

All the five injured soldiers were immediately rushed to Somdet Phra Yupharaj hospital in Yaha, three in serious conditions.

Immediately after the explosion, the road was sealed off to traffic and explosive ordnance disposal police moved in to detect if more bombs were hidden to harm and security officials.

Today marked the 12th anniversary of the Krue Se mosque incident in Pattani when over 30 southern insurgents were killed inside the mosque in a gun battle with government troops on April 28, 2004.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/161349


-- Thai PBS 2016-04-28

Best wishes to the injured but a pox on their officers. This morning we were greeted with the headline: "Security forces are on red alert ahead of the Krue Se 12th anniversary on Thursday".

Interesting that they already know that the bomb was 10-kilo. Anyone know if this is so powerful that it could take out a whole patrol walking in "red alert" formation? I am not sure what it means here, but in most armies a red alert would not see members of a patrol being so close together that 5 could be taken out at once by a conventional roadside bomb.

Heightened security was imposed in the three southernmost provinces of Yala ...

Not high enough apparently.

Effect of a 5kg IED - greatest injury comes from pressure wave that can crack the skull.