Narathiwat: Two police officers were killed and three others injured during a shootout with armed suspects at a palm plantation in Thailand's southern Narathiwat province on Sunday, authorities said. The clash occurred in Tak Bai district when a six-member police team, returning from an anti-narcotics mission, stopped to inspect a group of men gathered at a plantation shelter. The suspects opened fire with assault rifles, triggering a gunfight before fleeing into the surrounding area.

According to Thai News Agency, investigators recovered more than 10 spent M16 rifle casings from the scene. Three suspects found at the shelter have been detained for questioning. Regional police chief Lieutenant General Piyawat Chalermsri said authorities are investigating whether the attackers were members of a local insurgent group who had used the shelter as a temporary hiding spot.

A joint force of military, police, and local officials has sealed off the area and established checkpoints across seven zones. Security forces have tracked two fleeing suspects to a forested area less than two kilometers from the shootout location, where a search operation remains underway.