Rangers foil attack on Karachi camp, three soldiers martyred: ISPR

Three Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) personnel were martyred and four others were injured after security forces foiled a terrorist attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi, the military's media wing said on Sunday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the attack was carried out on Saturday by "Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar".

The military said, "the assailants, after a blast at the main gate of the Camp, attempted to breach the perimeter security".

"However, their nefarious designs were decisively foiled by the vigilant and resolute response of Rangers troops, eliminating three Kharjis and capturing one Kharji, who was identified as an Afghan national, in injured condition," it added.

"During fire exchange, three brave sons of soil rendered the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat in the line of duty, while four soldiers were injured," the ISPR said.

The ISPR said sanitisation operations were underway to eliminate any other "Indian sponsored kharji" in the area.

It said the Counter-Terrorism campaign under the vision of "Azm-e-Istehkam" by security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue "at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country".

Read: Heavy firing, explosion rock Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar

"Pakistan shall undertake retribution operations against the perpetrators of this attack to avenge the Shahadat of its soldiers," the military said.

"Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir expressed his deepest condolences with the families of the brave soldiers. These sacrifices further reinforce our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our nation at all costs," the statement concluded. 

Prime minister

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the Rangers personnel for thwarting what he described as a "cowardly" attack.

"The personnel of Pakistan Rangers once again demonstrated their professional competence, bravery, and devotion to duty by thwarting the nefarious designs of the terrorists," he said.

He added that by killing three terrorists and capturing one alive, the security forces had "crushed the aggressive designs" of the militants.

"The entire nation salutes the martyrs who laid down their lives for the country during the operation. Their sacrifices will always be remembered," the prime minister said.

He expressed condolences to the bereaved families, prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured personnel and vowed that "the blood of the martyrs will not go in vain" and that "every manifestation of terrorism will be eradicated with full force".

Read more: Attack on Rangers workshop foiled

"The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with its brave armed forces, Rangers and law enforcement agencies," he added.

President

President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned what he described as the terrorist attack by the Indian proxy Jamaat-ul-Ahrar on the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi.

"The nation will never forget the sacrifices of its brave soldiers in the war against terrorism," the president said.

He added that "terrorist elements operating under foreign patronage will never succeed in their malicious designs" and said the Pakistani nation stood firmly alongside its security forces and law enforcement agencies in the fight against terrorism.

The president said the sacrifices of the martyrs had further strengthened the national resolve to completely eliminate terrorism. He also expressed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured personnel.

Mohsin Naqvi

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack, paying tribute to the three Rangers personnel who embraced martyrdom while "bravely confronting the Khawarij".

"The courageous personnel of Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) acted promptly and effectively, sending three Indian proxy terrorists to hell and foiling their malicious designs," Naqvi said.

"The brave personnel who embraced martyrdom while thwarting the attack are heroes of the entire nation," he added.

Naqvi said the "everlasting sacrifice" of the fallen personnel had further strengthened the nation's resolve, adding that "the great sacrifices of the martyrs will always be remembered".

He also expressed sympathy with the families of the martyrs and prayed for the early recovery of the injured personnel.