The bodies of 21 policemen who were abducted during a militant attack in Ziarat have been transferred to Quetta. According to police sources, the officers were abducted on Monday by armed militants during an attack on the Mangi Dam Phase III construction site. Earlier in the assault, nine police personnel, including two station house officers (SHOs), were killed, while 21 others were taken hostage. Police said the abducted officers were later killed by the attackers, who dumped their bodies in the Zarghoon Ghar area.

The victims' relatives subsequently recovered the bodies and transported them to Civil Hospital Quetta. The latest development follows the deadly attack reported on 7 July, when terrorists launched a night-long assault on a police checkpost guarding the Mangi Dam project in Ziarat. The attack resulted in the deaths of nine policemen, including two senior officers, while several others were reported missing.

Police officials had earlier confirmed that security forces, including paramilitary troops, police and counter-terrorism personnel, carried out a joint clearance operation in the area in which 15 militants were killed. Ziarat Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdul Qudoos Achakzai also confirmed that it was a terrorist incident, adding it occurred in the Mangi Dam area. He added nine policemen, including two senior officers, had been martyred.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)