Two of the dead suspects are Lukman Latehbeuring and Beuraheng Arwaema, both of whom were part of a blatant raid on Joh I Rong Hospital in March.

Lukman was also wanted for allegedly shooting dead a ranger in Narathiwat’s Joh I Rong district last July.

Investigators were working on identifying the two other suspects who died in the clash yesterday, as efforts to track other suspects continue.

“We believe some other suspected insurgents might have been injured and they will try to seek medical help in some villages,” Colonel Yuttanam Petchmuang said in his capacity as deputy spokesman of the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4’s Forward Command.

The first clash took place at about 7am yesterday when Narathiwat Task Force troops and rangers launched a joint operation to raid an insurgents’ camp in the mountainous area behind I-Kros village in tambon Chang Puean.

Intelligence agencies had learned that the insurgents who seized the Joh I Rong Hospital on March 13 were hiding in the camp.

The rangers and troops had to walk about two hours to reach the camp, but when they arrived, the insurgents were ready and began firing at them.

The two sides exchanged gunfire for about 20 minutes before the insurgents retreated, and three bodies of suspects were found later at the scene.

The authorities then followed a trail of blood and found a group of suspects fleeing to Rangne district. The two sides again exchanged gunfire for about 10 minutes before the insurgents retreated. Another suspect was killed in the exchange of fire, as was ranger Anusak Amrod.