Two soldiers were injured when they were ambushed by suspected insurgents while shopping at a convenience store in southern Thailand.

Dramatic footage shows the gunmen opening fire on the car carrying the officers in Yala province at around 3:15 pm on January 10.

Police Corporal Thanakrit Jaihao was shot in the right ear, while Police Corporal Wachara Mayachiao was hit in his right shoulder and upper left arm.

Both officers, who were part of the force patrolling the border with Malaysia, suffered severe injuries and were rushed to a hospital.

Islamic separatist terror attacks target the three southernmost provinces of Thailand - Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat - next to the border with Mulsim neighbors Malaysia. Thai state employees and infrastructure are often hit while attacks on civilians are rare.

Officials believe the conflict dates to a deal in 1909 that the British Empire struck to incorporate the Muslim region into the Siamese mainland - separating it from its natural connection with Malay.

The region's culture is more similar to Malaysia and dramatically different to Buddhist Thais causing decades of tension that lead to the emergence of separatist groups fighting for independence in the 1960s.

The struggle has continued ever since with more than 7,344 people killed and 13,641 injured between January 2004 and March 2022.

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office warns against all but essential travel to the region while Canada's government warns its nationals to 'avoid all travel' to the three provinces.