QUETTA, Pakistan, July 7 (Reuters) – At least nine policemen and 15 militants were killed in an overnight clash in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, authorities said on Tuesday.
• The Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in Ziarat district, deputy police commissioner Abdul Qudoos Achakzai told Reuters.
• Five officers remain missing, he said.
• At least 15 militants were also killed in the fighting, government spokesperson Shahid Rind said.
• The Pakistani Taliban are a separate movement from the Afghan Taliban and have fought for years to overthrow the government in Islamabad and rule with their own brand of Islamic Sharia law.
• Islamabad says its leadership and fighters are based in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies.
(Reporting by Saleem Ahmed in Quetta, writing by Shanima Aniyeri; Editing by YP Rajesh)
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