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NARATHIWAT, THAILAND - SUSPECTED separatist rebels on Monday shot dead two soldiers patrolling in Thailand's insurgency-hit far south, police said.
The troops were inspecting a road to a school in Narathiwat - one of three southern Muslim-majority provinces beset by unrest - when dozens of insurgents opened fire, killing the two men.
The attackers fled the scene after a 10-minute gun battle, police said, and about 300 security officials were deployed to hunt for the rebels.
More than 3,500 people have been killed since separatist unrest erupted almost five years ago in the Muslim-majority far south. Tensions have simmered since Thailand annexed the mainly Malay sultanate in 1902. -- AFP
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