Five Thai security personnel lost their lives and six civilians, among them two young children, sustained injuries during an assault in the troubled southern region of the country, according to a military announcement released on Thursday.

Roughly ten attackers clad in black attire and wide-brimmed hats approached a roadside checkpoint in Narathiwat province late Wednesday aboard a pickup truck and motorcycles. They opened fire with military-grade weapons and hurled pipe bombs, stated the military Internal Security Operations Command Region 4.

The victims included five paramilitary rangers, while the injured civilians comprised a three-year-old girl and a ten-year-old boy.

Officials noted that the gunmen seized three AK-47 rifles, three bulletproof vests and several mobile phones from the checkpoint before fleeing. Security teams later discovered the abandoned pickup truck used in the raid, which had been set on fire roughly 13 miles from the location.

No organization has claimed responsibility for the incident, consistent with most attacks in Thailand's deep south.

The government denounced the strike as terrorism that endangers national security and disrupts peace efforts, according to a statement from spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek.

Security forces clash along Thailand's southern border

Thailand's southern provinces bordering Malaysia have endured a prolonged low-level insurgency in which security units confront separatist groups seeking independence for the mainly Muslim, ethnically Malay areas of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and sections of Songkhla.

The territory once formed part of the independent Malay sultanate of Patani prior to its incorporation into Siam via a 1909 agreement with Britain.

The current phase of violence began in 2004 and has resulted in more than 7,800 deaths, according to the conflict monitor Deep South Watch.

Peace negotiations involving the Thai government and several insurgent factions started in 2013 with Malaysian mediation yet have frequently stalled without meaningful advances.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has committed to restarting talks with the primary insurgent organization, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, following the appointment of a new lead negotiator in April, though formal discussions have not resumed.

In an uncommon public statement issued earlier this month, the BRN indicated that dialogue offers the sole feasible route to ending the conflict and voiced gratitude for Malaysia's ongoing facilitation role.