Armed men attack police compound in Pakistan’s Karachi

Armed men have attacked a police compound in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, officials said.

Local media reported that heavy gunfire and explosions were heard outside the premises on Friday.

The compound is home to several police buildings and the residences of officers.

Two of the attackers were killed, said Ghulam Nabi Memon, police chief for the Sindh province where Karachi is located.

Karachi police chief, Javed Alam Odho, confirmed that an attack was continuing and said police and paramilitary troops were responding. He said it wasn’t clear who was behind the assault.

Dr Sumaiyya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, told Al Jazeera at least three people were wounded.

“We have received three injured. One rescue volunteer, one police officer and one paramilitary Rangers officer. All have received bullet injuries but none of them critical,” she said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

“The number of the attackers is not yet clear,” Sindh province information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon told Pakistani broadcaster Geo TV.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in attacks by armed groups since November when the Pakistani Taliban unilaterally ended a monthslong ceasefire with the government.