9 cops killed, 5 taken hostage in Balochistan
Attack sparks protests in Ziarat, where relatives of the slain officers block highways
Dubai: At least nine Pakistani police personnel were killed and five were abducted after heavily armed militants attacked a police checkpoint in Balochistan’s Ziarat district, media reports said, citing police officials.
According to the reports, the attackers stormed a police post in the Mangi area late Monday, triggering a gun battle in which nine officers were killed.
Ziarat Superintendent of Police Abdul Qudoos said the assailants also abducted five police personnel before fleeing the scene. The bodies of the slain officers were shifted to the district headquarters hospital.
Security forces launch operation
Following the attack, Pakistani security forces and police launched a clearance operation in the area, Geo News and Dawn reported.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said 15 militants were killed during the operation. The spokesperson identified them as members of Fitna Al Khawarij, a term used by Pakistani authorities for certain militant groups.
Rind said intelligence-based operations would continue across the province and vowed that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice.
The attack sparked protests in Ziarat, where relatives of the slain officers, local tribes and transporters blocked major highways in the district.
According to Geo News, the demonstrations disrupted traffic on the N-50 Highway, linking Balochistan with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the N-70 Highway, connecting the province with Punjab, leaving hundreds of passenger buses and freight vehicles stranded.
Violence on the rise
The attack comes amid a renewed surge in militant violence in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, provinces that border Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused militant groups of operating from Afghan territory, an allegation the Afghan Taliban administration has denied. Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have remained strained despite several rounds of talks aimed at improving border security.
The latest attack follows a series of recent security operations and militant assaults that have highlighted persistent instability in Pakistan’s western border regions.
This version is more balanced, attributes official claims, adds the necessary India denial, and reads more like an international news agency copy.
