At least nine policemen, including two station house officers (SHOs), were killed in a terrorist attack on a police post in Balochistan’s Ziarat district, according to officials. Balochistan chief minister’s aide for media and political affairs, Shahid Rind, said that 15 Fitna al Khawarij terrorists had been killed in a clearance operation initiated following the attack.
Fitna al Khawarij is the term used by the state to designate members of the banned Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Sources said that the armed men attacked the police post late at night. Police fought a gun battle with the terrorists for some time, but the latter eventually managed to enter the premises, Dawn reported.
According to Ziarat Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdul Qadoos Dehwar, the terrorists targeted police personnel deployed on duty in Kach Mangi Phase III. The bodies of the deceased have been shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Ziarat for legal formalities and post-mortem examinations. SP Dehwar said the attackers abducted several residents along with police personnel after the attack.
Ziarat Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdul Qudoos Achakzai confirmed the number of casualties in the incident, adding that it occurred in the Mangi Dam area. The DC said the whereabouts of five policemen were still unknown, adding that additional personnel had been dispatched to the area. He said an operation to recover the missing police officials was under way.
Separately, Rind said that among those killed included the SHOs of the Mangi and Kawas police stations, and Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) In-charge Head Constable Saifullah. He said the bodies were being taken to the District Headquarters Hospital for legal proceedings.
In a subsequent statement, he said that the joint clearance operation launched after the attack had been completed and 15 terrorists belonging to Fitna al Khawarij had been killed.
He said the terrorists had “paid a heavy price” for disturbing peace in Balochistan, adding that there would be no safe haven for terrorists in the province and every attack would be met with a “full and decisive response”.
Rind said intelligence-based operations against terrorists would continue with greater intensity and that elements challenging the state’s writ would be brought to justice.
“There will be no compromise on Balochistan’s peace, stability and the protection of its people,” he added.
Meanwhile, the people of the area blocked the Quetta-Ziarat highway and staged a protest sit-in against the incident, suspending traffic on the main Quetta- Zhob highway. A large number of vehicles, including passenger buses and trucks, were struck on both sides of the highway.
Last month, unidentified armed men had attacked police installations in Qila Abdullah, Pishin and Duki districts, martyring a policeman and injuring two others.
In April, a police head constable was killed in a terrorist attack on a check post in the Huramzai area of Pishin district.
Data from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) showed that despite several high-profile attacks, Pakistan witnessed a decline in overall anti-state violence and related security incidents during the month of June.
Providing a province-wise breakdown for June, PICSS observed that Balochistan witnessed a “significant decline” in terrorism.
The province recorded 49 attacks in June compared with 71 in May, marking a 31pc reduction.
