Alleged terrorists steal firearms from village security guards in Thailand

This is the shocking moment suspected terrorists stole firearms from village security guards in Thailand.

CCTV footage shows masked men appearing to raid a security outpost in Yala province on July 9 evening.

Bizarrely, some of the guards were seen smiling as the suspects took their guns.

The Krong Pinang District Police Station said they received reports that several different locations were attacked by the alleged insurgents.

Fifteen assailants were reported to have stolen two pistols and a shotgun from security teams in Yala.

Around eight more men attacked the guard post in front of the Ban Rattana School to steal two shotguns and a pistol.

Seventeen militants reportedly targetted Ban Nam Yen village security booth, where they stole a shotgun and tied up the guards.

Ten more suspects allegedly assaulted guards in Ban Mo village, but found no weapons.

The Lammai Police Station was also informed by a village headman about two incidents of gun theft by armed suspects disguised as rangers.

Police Major General Piyawat Chalermsri, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 9, said on July 11 that relevant organisations, including provincial authorities and police stations, have convened to assess evidence related to the incidents.

He said: 'Forensic analysis of the cases is underway. There is significant progress in tracking the suspects via security camera footage along their route.

'The suspects, disguised in military attire, targeted official weapons without harming victims across four nearby locations, entering and exiting through the same route.

'Summarizing, these crimes have been repeated several times, specifically targeting Village Security Teams and civilian forces.'

Islamic separatist terror attacks target the three southernmost provinces of Thailand - Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat - next to the border with Mulsim neighbors Malaysia. Thai state employees and infrastructure are often hit while attacks on civilians are rare.

Officials believe the conflict dates to a deal in 1909 that the British Empire struck to incorporate the Muslim region into the Siamese mainland.

The region's culture is more similar to Malaysia and dramatically different to Buddhist Thais causing decades of tension that lead to the emergence of separatist groups fighting for independence in the 1960s.

The struggle has continued ever since with more than 7,344 people killed and 13,641 injured between January 2004 and March 2022.

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office warns against all but essential travel to the region while Canada's government warns its nationals to 'avoid all travel' to the three provinces.