Karachi Rangers camp attack leaves six dead in first major strike since October

Karachi,UPDATED: Jun 28, 2026 18:02 IST

At least three terrorists and three paramilitary soldiers were killed after heavily armed militants attacked a Sindh Rangers compound in Karachi, according to the Pakistan Army. The military said the attackers belonged to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The attack, described as Karachi's first major terrorist strike since October 2024, took place on Saturday night when the militants rammed a vehicle into the gate of the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp and entered the premises. The army said three attackers were killed and one injured suspect, believed to be an Afghan national, was captured alive.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said the attack happened at around 8.30 pm at the Sindh Rangers Bhittai wing in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. It said the militants stormed the compound after smashing through the gate and throwing hand grenades, triggering multiple explosions. "The assailants, after a blast at (the) main gate of the camp, attempted to breach the perimeter security," the ISPR said.

It added that the attempt was foiled by Rangers personnel, who killed three terrorists and captured one injured attacker. The army said the captured suspect was an Afghan national, but did not give further details. The ISPR also confirmed that three paramilitary soldiers were killed in the gun battle.

A local resident said authorities told people to remain inside their homes, while some residential buildings and nearby areas saw power cuts. Soon after the attack, authorities sealed off the compound and shut nearby roads. A security source said Special Security Unit commandos and the Anti-Terrorist Force helped the Rangers kill the attackers and capture the injured suspect.

During a visit to Karachi on Saturday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused India of using "proxies" to undermine peace and stability in Pakistan, but did not provide any evidence for the allegation. The ISPR said sanitisation operations were under way to clear the area of any other terrorists.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the banned TTP, has in recent years remained mostly active in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, targeting civilians, security personnel and government officials. The attack was the first terrorist strike in Karachi since October 2024, when two Chinese engineers were killed in a suicide attack near Karachi airport by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army. In the TTP's last major attack in the city, militants stormed the Karachi police headquarters on Shahrah-e-Faisal in February 2023, causing multiple casualties.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since late last year, with Islamabad repeatedly accusing the Taliban government in Kabul of giving the TTP safe haven and allowing cross-border attacks. Pakistan's military has also carried out several operations on what it says are TTP hideouts and training centres in Afghanistan.

The Karachi attack left three Rangers personnel and three militants dead, with one injured suspect in custody, as security forces continued operations in and around the compound.

With PTI Inputs

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