QUETTA: At least nine policemen, including two station house officers (SHOs), were martyred in a terrorist attack on a police post in Balochistan’s Ziarat district, officials said on Tuesday.

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-i-Taliban Pakistan.

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.

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 the martyrs included the SHOs of the Mangi and Kawas police stations, and Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) In-charge Head Constable Saifullah.

In a statement, 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.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the terrorist attack and paid tribute to the martyred police personnel. According to state broadcaster PTV, he vowed that the “blood of the martyrs will be avenged”.

“We will not allow anyone to harm the peace of Balochistan. We will continue the fight against the enemies of peace until they are completely eliminated,” he added.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the police for killing 15 terrorists. In a statement, he said the nation and security forces were determined to thwart “every conspiracy by Indian-sponsored terrorists to sabotage peace”.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti also expressed satisfaction over the successful operation. In a statement, he paid tribute to the Balochistan police personnel martyred in the incident, saying they had set an example of “unparalleled sacrifice” in the line of duty.

The chief minister warned that those challenging the writ of the state would “only meet defeat and death”.

“The terrorists of Fitna al-Khawarij are enemies of the people of Pakistan and Balochistan,” he said, adding that “this war against terrorists will continue until its logical conclusion”.

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 martyred in a terrorist attack on a checkpost 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.

Additional input from Abdullah Zehri