Nine police killed, five abducted in Balochistan attack

Nine police officers were killed and five others were abducted after armed assailants attacked a police checkpoint in Pakistan's Balochistan province. The assault occurred late Monday night in the Mangi Dam area of Ziarat district, officials confirmed.

Ziarat Superintendent of Police Abdul Qudoos Dehwar said the attackers stormed the police post, triggering a prolonged gun battle. The bodies of the nine slain officers, which included two station house officers and an Anti-Terrorist Force head constable, were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital. The whereabouts of five other personnel remain unknown, and a search operation is underway.

In response, security forces launched a clearance operation, killing 15 terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a group the state refers to as Fitna al-Khawarij. Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind stated the terrorists had paid a heavy price for attempting to undermine peace. He vowed there would be no safe haven for terrorists in the province and that intelligence-based operations would continue.

The attack prompted widespread protests in Ziarat, with local tribes, transporters, and relatives of the...