Pakistani security forces killed six militants and captured one injured attacker alive during a 90-minute gun battle at the Sindh Rangers' Bhittai Wing headquarters in Karachi.
Four Sindh Rangers paramilitary personnel lost their lives while defending the compound after terrorists rammed a vehicle into the main gate and lobbed hand grenades.
The outlawed Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a prominent offshoot of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the brazen Saturday night assault in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
Pakistani security forces repelled a militant assault on the Sindh Rangers' Bhittai Wing headquarters in Karachi, killing six attackers and four paramilitary personnel.
The strike began around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, PTI reported.
Security forces, including Rangers, Special Security Unit commandos and the Anti-Terrorist Force, fought for close to 90 minutes before capturing one injured assailant alive.
PTI reported that the attackers belonged to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, an outlawed offshoot of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and that the group claimed the strike. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has mainly operated in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, and has attacked civilians, security personnel and officials, the agency said.
Breach and Tactical Response
The gunmen drove a vehicle into the compound's main gate to gain entry, before lobbing hand grenades and triggering explosions, PTI reported.
"More details are being collected, but initial investigations confirm the terrorists arrived in a vehicle and entered the compound by ramming the main gate. The Rangers personnel responded rapidly," Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho said.
He said an explosion was heard when the attack began.
"What is confirmed is that as soon as the attack took place, the Rangers personnel immediately took positions and engaged the attackers in a gun battle," Odho said.
Odho initially said that the death toll among Rangers personnel was three.
Authorities sealed the compound and nearby roads as the exchange of fire continued. Residents were told to stay indoors, and some surrounding neighbourhoods lost electricity during the operation, PTI reported.
Following the attack, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed the provincial police chief and Karachi's additional inspector general to submit a detailed report.
Rescue 1122 Sindh said it received reports of an explosion near Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 5 and dispatched emergency teams from its central command and control centre.
Karachi Security Context
This was Karachi's first major terrorist attack since October 2024, when a suicide bombing near Karachi airport killed two Chinese engineers, PTI reported. The banned Balochistan Liberation Army claimed that attack.
The last major TTP attack in Karachi occurred in February 2023, when militants stormed the Karachi Police Office on Shahrah-e-Faisal, leaving multiple casualties.
Border Tensions Escalate
The strike comes as Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions remain high.
Since late last year, Pakistani military and intelligence officials have repeatedly accused Kabul's Taliban rulers of sheltering the TTP and enabling cross-border raids.
The military has also struck what it describes as TTP hideouts and training centres in Afghanistan.
