Armed attack in Ziarat: 12 kidnapped police personnel martyred, over a dozen missing
Quetta / Ziarat (Syed Sardar Mohammad Khondai) A major attack was carried out yesterday by armed terrorists on a police post located at Cross Mangi Dam in Ziarat, a tourist destination in Balochistan. After several hours of resistance, the armed men kidnapped more than two dozen police officers and personnel and took them away.
According to initial reports, 12 of the kidnapped police personnel have been martyred, while more than a dozen are still missing. Sources at Ziarat Hospital have confirmed that the bodies of several police personnel have been transferred to the hospital.
The incident occurred a day after the tragedy in Hanna Urak, in which 4 people were martyred and 11 were kidnapped, while several others were injured.
In protest against the incident, the people of Ziarat, political parties, and tribal elders staged a sit-in and blocked the international highway at Ziarat Cross. The protesters said that the police personnel were left at the mercy of armed terrorists. Meanwhile, the protest sit-in against the Hanna Urak incident continued for a second day in Quetta.
Provincial Interior Minister Ziaullah Langau confirmed that security forces are conducting an operation in the troubled areas. During the operation, several security personnel were injured and have been shifted to Quetta Trauma Center.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and the IG Police Balochistan visited the personnel injured in Hanna Urak and the operation. Speaking to the media on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the operation will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated. “I salute the brave people of Hanna Urak and Ziarat for their courage.”
Following the incident, security in the area has been placed on high alert and a search operation is underway to recover the missing personnel.
