Pakistani army soldiers walk outside the Karachi Police Office compound a day after an attack by Pakistan's Taliban. AFP

Gulf Today Report

Militants launched a deadly suicide attack on the police headquarters of Pakistan's largest city on Friday, officials said, as the sound of gunfire and explosions rocked the heart of Karachi for several hours.

Three security forces and a civilian were killed and 18 security forces wounded, according to government officials and Ghulam Nabi Memon, police chief for the southern Sindh province where Karachi is located. Two suicide bombers were killed and at least one blew himself up after entering the police building, officials added.

The attack happened at around 7:10pm local time when eight to 10 terrorists opened fire and hurled hand grenades at the Karachi police chief's office near the Saddar area of Karachi, Deputy Inspector General of south zone Karachi Irfan Baloch told media.

He said four floors of the building had been cleared in the operation jointly launched by the Pakistan Army, paramilitary rangers and police, adding that during the clearance operation, a suicide bomber blew himself up on the fourth floor, partially damaging the building, Xinhua news agency reported.

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The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) took responsibility for the attack in a message sent by their spokesman to journalists.

Karachi police chief Javed Alam Odho confirmed that an attack was ongoing and said police and paramilitary troops were responding.

Pakistani Taliban in a brief statement claimed responsibility.

Murtaza Wahab, a government adviser, confirmed that police and paramilitary forces in a joint operation had cleared the police building within three hours of the attack late Friday.

"I confirm that the operation against the terrorists is over,” said Wahab.

Rescue workers and police officers gather in the aftermath of the attack. Reuters

"Can't exactly tell how many terrorists have entered but there are at least more than five," Deputy Inspector General Irfan Baloch told Reuters.

The station houses offices of the city's most senior police. Baloch said there could have been up to 30 policemen at the station at the time of the attack.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said five or six militants were involved in the attack and threw hand grenades as they tried to force their way into the police headquarters.

Sharjeel Memon, the Sindh province's spokesman, said the attackers had been surrounded although shooting and fighting were still underway.

The TTP, separate from the Taliban ruling neighbouring Afghanistan, has recently increased attacks on police in the northwest of Pakistan as part of its campaign against the government in Islamabad.

Policemen take up positions near the site of an attack on a police compound in Karachi. AFP

Media reported that there were between eight and 10 assailants.

The powerful explosion also shattered the window glasses of nearby buildings, said the police.

A heavy contingent of police and rescue teams reached the scene and cordoned off the area. Police also sealed off traffic on the main artery Shahrah-e-Faisal, where the building is located.

Eyewitnesses told the news agency that the lights of the building under attack had been turned off, while gunshots and multiple explosions could be heard.

Police also sealed off traffic on the main artery Shahrah-e-Faisal, where the building is located.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement issued Friday evening, it said the Karachi police office was the target of the attack.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack, appreciating the police and security forces for their effective action against the terrorists.

"Terrorists once again targeted Karachi but this kind of cowardly act could not weaken the resolve of police and law enforcement agencies. The whole nation stood with police and security institutions ... collective efforts needed to root out the menace of terrorism," the Prime Minister said.