Islamabad [Pakistan], July 8: At least nine policemen have been killed in hours of gun battle with militants in Pakistan's volatile province of Balochistan, amid a surge in violence, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident took place in Ziarat district, where a group of militants had attacked a police post in the Mangi dam area on Monday.
"The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) was behind the attack," Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said in a statement. The militant group is held responsible for decades of attacks in Pakistan, where it is designated a terrorist organization.
"At least nine policemen, including two officers, were killed in the attack," said local police official Zahoor Ahmad. He said that the gun battle had continued for more than 20 hours in a remote region of the province. There had been at least two similar attempts in recent weeks, added said.
The exact number of wounded policemen was not yet known, Ahmad said.
A senior district administration official told local media that at least five policemen were still missing.
Rind said that the clearance operation had been completed, but did not speak about the recovery of missing policemen.
Source: Qatar Tribune
