Nine police officers, including two ranking officers, were killed in a clash with militants in the Mangi Phase 3 area of Ziarat district in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, authorities said.
Five other officers remained missing as a search operation continued, according to Deputy Commissioner Ziarat Abdul Qadoos. The bodies of the nine officers have been shifted to a hospital.
What happened in the Balochistan police attack?
Police and militants exchanged heavy gunfire through the night in the Mangi Phase 3 area of Kach, in Ziarat district, the deputy commissioner said.
Officers fought the attackers for hours before the clash ended. Nine officers were killed two of them ranking officers, and five others remained missing.
Which police stations were affected?
The officers killed in the attack were from the Mangi, Kach and Kowas police stations, the deputy commissioner said. A search operation is underway for the five missing officers. Balochistan has long been a site of militant attacks targeting law enforcement, with security personnel frequently among those killed in the province's long-running insurgency.
Residents and relatives of the abducted personnel staged a sit-in at Ziarat Cross, blocking the highway to all traffic. Commuters, including women, children and patients, faced severe difficulties as long lines of vehicles formed on both sides of the road.
Protesters demanded the immediate and safe recovery of the abducted personnel and action against those responsible. Further details about the abduction and any security operation launched in response are awaited.
The attack follows a similar assault in May, when at least nine people, including two traffic police officers, were killed and 23 others were wounded in a bombing in Sarai Naurang tehsil of Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police said an explosives-laden rickshaw detonated in a crowded market during rush hour.
This is a developing story...
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