Three members of Pakistan’s paramilitary Rangers force were killed and four others wounded after militants launched a coordinated assault on the force’s provincial headquarters in the southern city of Karachi, the military said on Sunday, vowing to retaliate against those behind the attack, reports AP.
The attack began late on Saturday when a militant drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the entrance of the Pakistan Rangers headquarters in Karachi, triggering fierce gun battles with security forces. The military said three attackers were killed during the operation while a fourth suspect, identified as an Afghan national, was captured alive after being wounded. Security operations were continuing to hunt down any remaining accomplices.
According to police and witnesses, the vehicle exploded after crashing into the main entrance of the Rangers’ provincial headquarters, sparking an intense exchange of gunfire between the attackers and security personnel.
In a statement, the military said the operation against the assailants was still under way and warned that Pakistan would retaliate against those responsible for the attack.
Pakistan has carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan in recent years, saying they targeted militants who planned cross-border attacks from Afghan territory. Kabul has consistently rejected those claims, denying that militant groups are allowed to use its soil to launch attacks against Pakistan.
The militant group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the assault shortly after it took place.
The military described Jamaat-ul-Ahrar as an Indian proxy but did not provide evidence to support the allegation. There was no immediate response from New Delhi, which has repeatedly rejected similar accusations made by Pakistan in recent years.
President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the three Rangers personnel killed in the assault, describing them as martyrs. In a statement issued by his office, he expressed condolences to their families, wished the wounded a swift recovery and praised the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s security forces in the country’s fight against militancy.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack and commended security personnel for repelling the assault.
Pakistan has experienced a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years, with police, military personnel and other security forces increasingly coming under attack across different parts of the country.
The military said efforts were continuing to eliminate any remaining accomplices linked to the assault, indicating that security operations had not yet concluded.
The attack is the latest in a series of high-profile assaults targeting Pakistan’s security establishment, underlining the country’s continuing struggle to contain militant groups despite repeated military operations against them. Sunday’s statement signalled that authorities intended to pursue those responsible while maintaining operations around the Rangers headquarters until the area had been fully secured.
