Unknown gunmen have shot and killed two Thai soldiers in an ambush in the southern part of the country.

According to police officials, the attack took place on Saturday in Kapor district of Pattani Province. The two military rangers in civilian clothing were riding on a motorcycle at the time of the assault.

The attackers also took the soldiers' rifles and fled the scene.

Since 2004, over 6,500 people, mostly civilians, have lost their lives in violence in the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. The violence has its roots in an ethnic and religious separatist insurgency.

Earlier in May, around 20 people sustained injuries in a spate of bombings in Yala.

Thailand's military government says it has adopted new strategies, including DNA swabbing, to contain the violence in the country’s south; however, lawyers and activists have expressed doubt  about the possible success of the forced DNA sweeps.

Thailand is currently run by the military, which seized power on May 22, 2014 following months of anti-government protests and violence in the country.

MR/HMV