Karachi Rangers headquarters, Pakistan
New Delhi: Pakistani security forces said they foiled an armed attack on the Sindh Rangers compound in Karachi on Saturday evening, killing six terrorists and arresting another. The attack claimed the lives of four guardsmen and was the first major terrorist attack in the city since October 2024.According to a security source, the attackers belong to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the banned Pakistani Taliban. They launched the attack at around 8.30 pm by ramming a car through the main gate of the Sindh Rangers’ Bhitai wing headquarters in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Johar area.
The attackers then entered the complex and threw grenades, causing several explosions before exchanging gunfire with security personnel.
The Rangers, supported by the Special Security Unit (SSU) and Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF), battled the militants in an operation that lasted about 90 minutes. By the end of the battle, six attackers were killed and a wounded militant was captured alive.Four Rangers were killed defending the compound.The authorities cordoned off the area and closed nearby roads during the operation. Residents were advised to stay in their homes as heavy shooting continued, while electricity was temporarily cut off in some neighboring neighborhoods.
The Al-Ahrar group later claimed responsibility for the attack. The group, which mainly operates in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghan border, has carried out several attacks targeting civilians, security forces and government officials.The attack was the first major terrorist attack in Karachi since October 2024, when two Chinese engineers were killed in a suicide bombing near Karachi airport.
The banned Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for this attack.Before that, the last major TTP attack in Karachi occurred in February 2023, when militants stormed the Karachi Police Office in Shahr al-Faisal, killing several people.Inspector General of Sindh Police Javed Alam Udo initially said three Rangers were killed.“More details are being collected, but preliminary investigations confirm that the terrorists arrived in a car and entered the complex by ramming the main gate.
“The Rangers responded quickly.”Odo said an explosion was heard at the beginning of the attack, although investigators are still determining the cause of the explosion.“What is certain is that as soon as the attack occurred, the Rangers immediately took up positions and engaged the attackers in a gun battle,” he added.Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed the provincial police chief and Additional Inspector General of Karachi Police to submit a detailed report on the attack.Sindh Rescue Service 1122 said it received reports of an explosion near Golestan-e-Johar No. 5 area and immediately sent emergency response teams to the area.The attack comes at a time of increasing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government of harboring Pakistani Taliban fighters and allowing them to launch cross-border attacks.Pakistan also carried out several strikes inside Afghanistan, saying they targeted Pakistani Taliban hideouts and training camps.
