KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A militant rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the provincial headquarters of the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers in Karachi on Saturday, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire with security forces, police and witnesses said.

Ambulances rushed to the scene as security forces responded to the assault in the capital of southern Sindh province.

A little-known militant group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility.

Local media reported that three troops and at least three militants were killed in the attack and the ensuing shootout. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks targeting police and security forces in recent years. Authorities have blamed the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and allied militant groups for most of the violence.

The TTP is a separate militant group from the Afghan Taliban, although the two are allies. The Afghan Taliban returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.