KARACHI: An overnight counter-terrorism crackdown in Karachi left at least four suspected terrorists dead, police said Tuesday, adding that the operation was launched on intelligence reports.
The raid in the Shah Latif Town area of the megacity, conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh police, resulted in an exchange of gunfire and the seizure of a significant cache of weapons and explosive materials, according to senior CTD officials.
As the police team entered the premises, the terrorists, holed up inside the building, opened fire on them, CTD police said.
The CTD officials said that four militants were killed during the exchange of fire, reportedly as a result of firing by their own associates.
Meanwhile, two CTD personnel — Head Constable Muhammad Yousuf and Sepoy Raja Junaid — also sustained injuries. They were taken to the hospital, where they are said to be in stable condition.
Deputy Inspector General of CTD police Azfar Mahesar said that one militant died on the spot, while three others succumbed to their wounds before reaching the hospital.
Police said that the killed terrorists have been identified as Jalil, Niyaz and Hamdan, while the fourth one is being identified.
Several accomplices managed to escape during the operation. After the operation was completed, police launched a search operation to track down the terrorists amid a security cordon around the surrounding area.
Police said the raid led to the recovery of a large quantity of weapons and explosives from the house, including five hand grenades, a sub-machine gun and other firearms.
Bomb disposal experts were called in, who safely defused the explosive material. According to the bomb disposal squad, initial information suggested that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had been prepared at the property.
Detonators, detonating wire, and electronic circuits were also seized.
The police have launched investigations, adding that the operation was part of wider efforts to dismantle militant networks in the city, according to Mahesar.
Pakistan has experienced a rise in cross-border terrorist incidents since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. The provinces of KP and Balochistan, which border Afghanistan, have been particularly affected by these attacks.
ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in his presser on January 6, said that law enforcement agencies carried out 75,175 IBOs across the country in 2025.
Giving a breakdown, he said 14,658 IBOs were conducted in KP, 58,778 in Balochistan, while 1,739 operations took place in the rest of the country.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said that 5,397 terrorism incidents were reported nationwide during the last year. Of these, 3,811 incidents, he said, occurred in KP, 1,557 in Balochistan, and 29 incidents were reported in other parts of the country.
He said that 2,597 terrorists were killed during counterterror operations last year. While providing details of 10 major terror attacks across the country, he said that civilians and soft targets had been deliberately targeted, and Afghan militants were involved in all attacks.
