Key facts
- Nine police officers were killed in an attack on a post in Pakistan's Balochistan province.
- Eight police officers were abducted and later recovered.
- The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
- Fifteen militants were killed in a subsequent security operation.
- The attack targeted police guarding a dam construction site in the Ziarat district.
Nine police officers were killed and eight abducted in an overnight clash in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, authorities said. The Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in the Ziarat district, where the officers were guarding the construction site of the Mangi Dam. Fifteen militants were killed in the ensuing gunbattle, and the eight abducted officers were later recovered. The Pakistani Taliban is a separate movement from the Afghan Taliban and has fought for years to overthrow the government in Islamabad. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, stating the killed officers were "the pride of our nation."