At least nine police personnel were killed in a militant attack in the Kuch Mangi Phase III area of Balochistan’s Ziarat district, officials said on Tuesday.

Ziarat’s deputy commissioner confirmed the incident, saying the bodies of all nine officers had been shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Ziarat.

According to sources, an intense exchange of fire between militants and security personnel had been going on since Monday night, with police officers putting up resistance before the attack claimed their lives.

The attack marks the second major militant strike in Balochistan within the past 72 hours.

The first attack occurred in the Hanna Urak area outside Quetta, where local tribesmen confronted armed militants.

Four locals were killed in that incident, while seven people, including police personnel, were abducted.

Residents later staged a sit-in on Airport Road in protest against the abductions and deteriorating security situation.

According to protesters, the abducted individuals had been deployed to guard an under-construction water tank at Mangi Dam when unidentified armed men arrived and forcibly took them away.

Protesters said five of the abductees later managed to escape, while security forces have launched a large-scale operation in the area to recover those still being held.

Public anger has intensified following the attacks and abductions.

In a separate protest, residents blocked the National Highway at Ziarat Crossing in Pishin district, demanding the immediate and safe recovery of all abductees.