Thai clashes claim 93 lives

At least 93 people were killed when Thai police fought machete-wielding militants who launched simultaneous pre-dawn raids on security outposts today, in the heaviest fighting yet in the troubled Muslim-dominated south, officials said.

Police said they ended a standoff at a mosque by firing tear gas and killing nearly a dozen suspected Islamic fighters holed up inside, apparently bringing seven hours of bloodshed to a dramatic end.