One rebel dead and one soldier injured as troops clash with insurgents in southern Thailand

One rebel was killed and a soldier was injured as troops clashed with insurgents in Thailand's deep south today.

The Provincial Special Operation Sub-Division fought with guerrilla fighters in a forested area near in the Chanae district of Narathiwat province early morning on August 8.

Authorities said one insurgent, whose name was not disclosed, was killed in the gunfight, while Sergeant Weerasak Panso was shot in the left hip taken to the Chanae Hospital.

He was reported to be in stable condition.

Around an hour later, a bomb exploded along Highway 4115 while rangers were patrolling. The bomb was said to be an improvised explosive device, and police were investigating how it was detonated.

No casualties were reported. Authorities were investigating the area.

Last week, two bombs rocked a town also in Narathiwat province. The bombs were planted on a road, wounding one village when he was taking cover.

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.