QUETTA: Gunmen martyred at least nine police officers and left several others missing after attacking a police checkpost guarding the Mangi Dam project in Balochistan province, officials said Tuesday.
The assault targeted a security post in the Ziarat district, where police were deployed to protect the Mangi Dam infrastructure project, according to local authorities.
Senior district official Abdul Qudoos said nine police officers were confirmed dead, while several others remained unaccounted for following the attack.
Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind confirmed the death toll, saying senior officers from multiple police stations were among those killed.
Shahid Rind, said that 15 Fitna al Khawarij terrorists had been killed in a clearance operation initiated following the attack.
He said paramilitary forces, police and counterterrorism personnel launched a joint clearance operation in the area after the attack. Authorities have recovered nine bodies, while search operations are continuing to locate the missing officers.
Officials said those killed were from the Mangi, Kach and Kowas police stations.
Following the attack, relatives of the missing personnel and local residents staged a sit-in at Ziarat Cross, blocking a major highway and demanding the immediate recovery of the missing officers as well as action against those responsible.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the militant attack on a police checkpost in Balochistan province that killed several police officers.
Sharif paid tribute to the slain personnel, including station house officers (SHOs), and expressed condolences to the bereaved families. He prayed for the victims' elevated status and for strength and patience for their relatives.
"The attack once again proves that these militants are enemies of Balochistan's peace, development and the prosperity of its people," Sharif said in a statement.
He vowed that the government would not allow anyone to undermine peace in Balochistan and said security forces would continue operations against militants until they were eliminated.
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Pakistan has repeatedly accused militants operating from neighboring Afghanistan of carrying out cross-border attacks, allegations that Afghan authorities have consistently denied. Islamabad has also conducted airstrikes inside Afghan territory in recent months, saying they targeted militant hideouts.
