Key Points
- Three Pakistan Rangers personnel were killed defending the Karachi camp
- The military says four attackers linked to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar targeted the facility
- Security forces launch a clearance operation
ISLAMABAD: Three members of the Pakistan Rangers were martyred after terrorists attacked a Rangers camp in the southern port city of Karachi, with security forces killing three assailants and capturing another during a counter-assault.
According to the military’s media wing, the attack took place on the night of June 27 when India-backed terrorists struck the main entrance of a Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp using explosives before attempting to force their way inside the facility.
The assault was repelled by Rangers personnel guarding the installation, preventing the attackers from breaching the camp’s perimeter.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the attackers belonged to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, an Indian proxy group.
Pakistan officially refers to such militants as “Khwarij,” a term to describe extremist armed groups involved in attacks against security forces, having a refuge in Afghanistan and Indian sponsorship.
The military said three militants were killed during the exchange of fire, while a fourth suspect, identified as an Afghan national, was captured alive in an injured condition.
During the operation, three Rangers personnel were killed, and four others sustained injuries.
The military described the fallen personnel as “brave sons of the soil” who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Following the attack, security forces launched a sanitisation operation in and around the area to ensure that no additional militants remained in the vicinity.
The ISPR said Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue nationwide counterterrorism operations under the “Azm-e-Istehkam” campaign, which was launched to intensify action against militant networks operating across the country.
The military added that the campaign would continue “at full pace” to eliminate what it described as foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism.
Pakistan to avenge Rangers’ martyrdom
In a strongly worded statement, the military also pledged to conduct retaliatory operations against those responsible for planning and executing the attack, saying Pakistan would avenge the deaths of its personnel.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and commercial hub, has witnessed a significant improvement in its security environment over the past decade following extensive law enforcement and military operations.
However, attacks targeting security personnel and strategic installations continue to occur intermittently, reflecting the persistent threat posed by militant organisations.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is an outlawed terrorist faction that has previously claimed responsibility for attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians.
The group has been associated with cross-border terrorist activity and has been designated as a terrorist organisation by Pakistan and several other countries.
Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir expressed condolences to the families of the martyred Rangers personnel.
“Their sacrifices further reinforce our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our nation at all costs,” the military quoted him as saying.
Pakistan has witnessed a resurgence in terrorist violence in recent years, prompting intensified counterterrorism operations by the armed forces and civilian law enforcement agencies, particularly in border regions and major urban centres.
