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Military truck attacked in Karachi, 1 civilian killed

A military truck carrying Pakistan Army soldiers returning from by-election duty was hit by a bomb attack late on Thursday, killing a civilian standing nearby and injuring 11 soldiers, security and hospital officials said.

Seven other civilians were also injured in the attack, which took place in the Korangi No. 5 neighbourhood, close to the headquarters of a unit of the paramilitary Rangers. All the wounded and the body of the deceased were moved to the Jinnah Hospital – the city’s biggest state-run hospital.

“The target of the attack was the soldiers,” said a military official, requesting not to be named. “Eleven soldiers have suffered injuries in the attack.”

Police said the attack appeared to have been carried out by an improvised explosive device, or IED. Immediately after the attack, police and troops cordoned off the area, while the injured were rushed to the hospital.

The military official also confirmed that the troops that came under attack were returning from election duty.

By-elections were held in three constituencies of Karachion Tuesday, the country’s biggest city and commercial capital, and 41 constituencies overall in the country.

Soldiers from the Pakistan Army were deployed along with the police to ensure that the by-polls are held peacefully, and no major disturbance was reported in Karachi during the polling.