Gunmen dressed as Muslim women open fire on officer’s car in Pattani
A shooting in Pattani left a police officer injured and his wife dead yesterday, May 25, after four suspected insurgents opened fire on their sedan near a school in Phong Sata, Yarang, Pattani.
Police were alerted at 3.30pm to the shooting, which left one person injured and one dead. Officers found the sedan with multiple bullet marks on the windscreen and driver’s side.
Inside the car, police found 35 year old Fatimoh Yango, the wife of 38 year old police officer Adul Yeesulong, dead in the back seat. Adul, who was shot in the leg, was taken to Yarang Hospital and was later reported to be in safe condition. The 2 month old child was also injured by bullet fragments.
Police found seven AK cartridge cases, one bullet, three 9mm cartridge cases, and one bullet at the scene. The items were collected as evidence.
An initial investigation found that Adul was driving with his wife and two young children to pick up his two sons from the school. Fatimoh was sitting in the back seat holding their 2 month old child, while another child sat in the front passenger seat.
Four attackers dressed as Muslim women and wearing hijabs to conceal their faces were waiting by the roadside on two motorcycles.
When the attackers saw Adul’s car, they allegedly opened fire with an AK rifle and a handgun. Adul drove about 300 metres into the school area before stopping the car and calling for help.
After the attack, police sealed off the area while forensic officers collected evidence. Security officers were also ordered to block routes in and out of the area and search vehicles and suspicious people.
Military personnel were later asked to join searches in target areas. Police believe the attackers may be linked to an insurgent group in the area and to a previous attack that killed a police officer on May 4.
Police added that earlier intelligence had warned of possible insurgent attacks on state targets aimed at creating unrest, reported Thairath.
In a similar incident, back in late March, a bomb attack in Narathiwat hit a police vehicle in Rangae district, seriously injuring two officers as they returned from investigating a theft case. The blast forced the police car off the roadway and caused damage to the vehicle.
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