New Delhi: Pakistani security forces said they foiled a terrorist 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 personnel and was the first major terrorist attack in the city since October 2024.According to a security source, the attackers were linked to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). They attacked around 8.30 pm by crashing a vehicle through the main gate of Bhittai wing headquarters of Sindh Rangers in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Karachi.The attackers then entered the compound and threw grenades, setting off several explosions before exchanging fire with security personnel. The Rangers, supported by the Special Security Unit (SSU) and Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF), fought the terrorists in the operation that lasted for about 90 minutes. By the end of the encounter, six attackers were killed and one injured terrorist was captured alive.Four Rangers personnel were killed while defending the complex.Authorities cordoned off the area and closed nearby roads during the operation. Residents were advised to stay indoors as heavy firing continued, while electricity was temporarily cut in some nearby areas.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 targeting civilians, security forces and government officials.The attack was Karachi’s first major terrorist attack since October 2024, when two Chinese engineers were killed in a suicide bombing near Karachi airport. Responsibility for that attack was claimed by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army.Earlier, the last major TTP attack in Karachi took place in February 2023, when terrorists attacked the Karachi Police Office on Shahrah-e-Faisal, killing several people.Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho initially said that three Rangers personnel had been killed.“More details are being collected, but preliminary investigation confirms that the terrorists came in a vehicle and entered the complex by ramming the main gate. Rangers personnel responded swiftly,” he said.Odho said an explosion was heard at the beginning of the attack, although investigators were still determining what caused it.“It has been confirmed that as soon as the attack took place, Rangers personnel immediately took up positions and started an encounter with the attackers,” he said.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 attack.Rescue 1122 Sindh said it received reports of an explosion near Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 5 and immediately dispatched emergency response teams to the area.This attack has taken place at a time when tension is increasing between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring TTP militants and allowing them to launch cross-border attacks.Pakistan has also carried out several strikes inside Afghanistan and said it has targeted TTP hideouts and training camps.