A shootout between police and armed gunmen killed nine people and injured 20 others in Loralai on Tuesday, police said. The firefight occurred after three gunmen entered police offices in Loralai district and threw hand grenades. "Senior police officials were busy selecting candidates for different categories of civilian jobs when these terrorists entered the compound and hurled hand grenades," Balochistan police chief Mohsin Butt told AFP.

"Police officials opened fire on them killing one of the terrorists," he said, adding that the two remaining gunmen went into hiding in the building and later blew themselves up. Three of those killed were policemen and six were civilian staff members, while twenty people were injured in the crossfire, Butt said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019