Gunmen storm police chief office in Pakistan's port city Karachi

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – A group of armed assailants stormed the police headquarters of Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, igniting an intense exchange of firing between the attackers and the police on Friday evening.

Karachi police chief, Javed Alam Odho, confirmed to the local media that his office has been attacked, and at least one policeman was injured and shifted to hospital.

Footage aired on local broadcaster Geo News showed dozens of policemen and paramilitary personnel cordoning off the compound, which houses several security offices, including the city police headquarters.

Intense firing was ongoing between police and the suspected militants who reportedly have managed to enter the police headquarters.

Dozens of policemen and civilians are stated to be trapped on different floors of the 5-story building. All the lights in the compound have been switched off.

Area residents told local media that they saw some armed men entering the compound, and heard a few explosions as well.

The brazen attack follows a suicide bombing at a mosque inside a police compound in northwestern Peshawar city, killing over 100 people earlier this month.