Karachi Rangers attack foiled, six terrorists killed and one captured

Karachi,UPDATED: Jun 28, 2026 02:32 IST

Pakistani security forces killed six terrorists and captured another alive after foiling an attack on a Sindh Rangers compound in Karachi on Saturday night. The assault left four paramilitary personnel dead and marked the city’s first major terrorist strike since October 2024.

According to a security source, the attackers belonged to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a militant faction of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The gun battle lasted nearly 90 minutes after the militants stormed the Sindh Rangers’ Bhittai Wing headquarters, before Special Security Unit commandos and the Anti-Terrorist Force joined Rangers personnel in the operation.

The attack took place at around 8.30 pm at the Rangers compound in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. Authorities sealed off the compound and nearby roads as heavy firing continued. Residents were asked to stay indoors, while some nearby neighbourhoods reported power cuts during the operation.

Saturday’s attack was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which has largely operated in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The group has carried out attacks on civilians, security personnel and government officials. The assault was the first terrorist attack in Karachi since October 2024, when two Chinese engineers were killed in a suicide bombing near Karachi airport claimed by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army. The last major TTP attack in Karachi was in February 2023, when militants stormed the Karachi Police Office on Shahrah-e-Faisal, causing multiple casualties.

Initial investigations found that the attackers rammed a vehicle through the main gate of the Rangers compound before entering and hurling hand grenades, triggering multiple explosions. Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho had initially told the media that three Rangers personnel had been killed in the attack. “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,” he said.

Odho said an explosion was heard when the attack began, though it was not immediately clear what caused it. “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,” he added. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed the provincial police chief and Karachi’s additional inspector general of police to submit a detailed report on the incident. Rescue 1122 Sindh said it received reports of an explosion near Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 5 and immediately dispatched emergency teams from its central command and control centre.

The attack comes amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Since late last year, Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies have repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of giving safe haven to the TTP and enabling cross-border attacks. Pakistan’s military has also carried out several strikes on what it says are TTP hideouts and training centres inside Afghanistan. The Karachi attack ended with six militants killed, one captured and four Rangers personnel dead, underscoring a major security challenge for the city.

With PTI Inputs

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