Incident Summary:

05/21/2017: Assailants opened fire on a Pakistani Police vehicle in Dhoraji neighborhood, Karachi, Pakistan. At least two officers were killed and another officer was injured in the assault. The Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi separately claimed responsibility for the attack. Authorities also attributed the attack to Ansar al-Sharia (Pakistan).

GTD ID:
201705210019

When:
2017-05-21

Country:
Pakistan

Region:
South Asia

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Sindh

City:
Karachi

Location Details:
The incident occurred in the Dhoraji arae.

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Armed Assault
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Police
Name of Entity Pakistani Police
Specific Description Vehicle
Nationality of Target Pakistan
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Firearms Handgun
Weapon Details
Several 9-mm and .3-caliber bore pistols were used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information The victims included Iftikhar, Raja Younis, and Shahzad. Casualty numbers conflict across sources. Following GTD protocol, the majority reliable estimates are reported here.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Group Sub-name Claimed Responsibility
Ansar al-Sharia (Pakistan) No
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Unknown)
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Jamaat-ul-Ahrar Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators 2
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 2 Fatalities / 1 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 2
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 1
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"More attacks feared as ‘battle-hardened’ militants come back from Syria," DAWN Group, June 30, 2017.
"Gunmen shot dead two policemen in Karachi," Khyber News, May 21, 2017.
"Two policemen gunned down in Karachi," Daily Times, May 21, 2017.