07/07/2026
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07/07/2026
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ISLAMABAD, Jul 7: At least nine Pakistani police personnel were killed after heavily armed militants launched a deadly overnight assault on a security checkpoint in the country's restive southwestern province of Balochistan, officials said on Tuesday.
The attack took place in Ziarat district, a popular tourist destination in Balochistan, where intense gun battles erupted between militants and security forces during the early hours of Tuesday.
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Quddus Achakzai said the violence began when militants attacked a police checkpoint, triggering hours of fierce fighting. The bodies of the nine slain officers were later transported to a local hospital.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault. However, suspicion is likely to fall on the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant organization that has repeatedly targeted Pakistani security forces, government installations, and infrastructure projects in the province.
Following the attack, Pakistani security forces launched a large-scale search and clearance operation across the area to hunt down those responsible.
Balochistan has long been the epicenter of a separatist insurgency fueled by ethnic, political, and economic grievances. The province is rich in minerals and occupies a strategic position as a key corridor for the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), making it a frequent target for militant attacks aimed at disrupting security and development projects.
The latest bloodshed underscores the continuing security challenges facing Pakistan as militants intensify attacks against law enforcement and state institutions in the troubled region.
