Four Dead After TTP Militants Storm Police Station in Pakistan's Karachi

A plainclothes police officer stands beside the bullet-riddled walls after security forces conduct an operation against attackers at a police headquarters, in Karachi, Pakistan, on Friday, 17 February.

(Photo: PTI)

Three militants of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) stormed a police station and killed four people, including a civilian in Pakistan's Karachi on Friday, 17 February.

The militants were reportedly shot dead in retaliatory fire. They hurled a hand grenade at the Karachi Police Office’s main entrance before opening fire.

The militants brought "three bags of food" with them, indicating their preparation for a prolonged siege, DIG East-Zone Muquddas Haider, who was among the senior officers leading the operation, told Dawn.

The five-storey police compound was cleared after an operation that lasted several hours, which resulted in the death of two policemen, one civilian working for the police, and one Pakistan Rangers official.

The latest attack on security forces in Pakistan comes two weeks after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque packed with worshippers, mostly policemen, in Peshawar on 30 January.

4 Killed, 19 Injured in Shooting

At least 19 men, mostly police and Rangers officials, sustained injuries in the exchange of fire, Dawn reported. Advocate Murtaza Wahab, an adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, shared details of 23 casualties – four deceased and 19 injured – on Twitter.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack on social media.

Police said that one terrorist blew up an explosive jacket during the operation while the police shot two of his accomplices dead. A police spokesperson said that the operation was jointly carried out by police, paramilitary Rangers, and army personnel.

CM Shah reached the Command and Control Centre at IGP office after receiving information about the attack and monitored the operation, Dawn reported.

UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Aziz Haq condemned the TTP attack. “We condemn all terrorist attacks and we send condolences to the families of the victims of the attack and to the government of Pakistan,” he said.