Two people were killed and 18 others were wounded in a series of blasts in the southern province of Pattani, Thailand on February 16 and17.

An explosion at a supermarket in the heart of the township killed one security officer and injured many other people, reported local police.

The unrest started on February 16 when three bombs exploded in public areas of the district.

According to police, the incident might be the retaliatory attack of rebel gunmen in southern Thailand after an unsuccessful assault on military barracks three days earlier.

Since 2004, over 5,500 people have been killed in rebel attacks in Thailand ’s southern provinces near the Malaysian border