Pakistan: A 90-minute gun battle broke out at the Rangers headquarters in Karachi, in which 4 soldiers and 6 terrorists were killed
New Delhi: Pakistan security forces said they foiled an armed attack on the Sindh Rangers compound in Karachi on Saturday night, killing six terrorists and arresting another. The attack claimed the lives of four rangers and was the first major terrorist attack in the city since October 2024.According to security sources, the attackers belonged to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the banned group. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). They launched the attack around 8:30 pm when a car rushed through the gate of Sindh Rangers Bhittai Wing headquarters in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Karachi.The attackers then entered the compound and threw grenades, triggering multiple explosions, before exchanging gunfire with security personnel. The Rangers, supported by the Special Security Unit (SSU) and the Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF), fought the militants for nearly 90 minutes. By the end of the gun battle, six attackers had been killed and one wounded militant was captured alive.Four Ranger personnel were killed while defending the compound.During the operation, authorities cordoned off the area and closed nearby roads. Residents were advised to stay indoors and power was temporarily cut off in some nearby communities as heavy gunfire continued.Jamaat-ul-Ahrar later claimed responsibility for the attack. The group, which operates mainly in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghan border, has carried out several attacks against 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 that attack.Prior to this, the last major TTP attack in Karachi occurred in February 2023, when militants attacked the Karachi Police Station in Shahrah-e-Faisal, killing many people.Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odo initially said three Rangers personnel were killed.“Further details are being gathered but preliminary investigations confirm the terrorists arrived in a vehicle and entered the compound through a rammed gate. The Rangers personnel responded quickly,” he said.Oddo said explosions were heard at the start of the attack, but investigators were still determining the cause.He added: “It has been confirmed that immediately after the attack, Rangers personnel were in position and engaged in a gun battle with the attackers.”chief minister of sindh Murad Ali Shah directed the provincial police chief and deputy commissioner of police Karachi to submit a detailed report on the attack.Rescue 1122 Sindh said it received reports of an explosion near Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 5 and immediately dispatched emergency teams to the area.The attack comes amid rising tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government of harboring TTP militants and allowing them to launch cross-border attacks.Pakistan has also launched several attacks in Afghanistan, saying it targets TTP hideouts and training camps.
