QUETTA – At least nine police personnel, including two station head officers (SHOs), have been martyred in a terrorist attack in the Mangi Phase III area of Ziarat district in Balochistan, officials said.
Reports said an intense exchange of fire between police and the attackers continued for several hours overnight. The security personnel engaged the militants in a prolonged battle before the assault was brought under control.
A deputy commissioner said a search operation was ongoing to trace five police officials who were reported missing after the incident.
Authorities have not yet released further details regarding the attackers, casualties among militants, or the progress of the security operation.
Bodies of the martyred officials have been shifted to hospital.
The latest incident comes after a separate deadly attack earlier this year in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where an explosives-laden vehicle detonated in a crowded market area.
The blast killed at least nine people, including two traffic police officials, and left 23 others injured. Rescue teams transported the victims to a nearby hospital for medical assistance.
