An investigator collects evidence from a bullet-riddled vehicle of military police at the site of incident in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, December 1, 2015. (PTI Photo)
Masked gunmen riding a motorcycle shot dead two military policemen today in Pakistan's volatile port city, Karachi, where authorities have been staging a crackdown for two years on Taliban militants and criminal gangs.
The victims' jeep was stuck in traffic on the city's main M.A. Jinnah Road when they came under attack from behind, according to officials.
"One of them died on the spot whereas the other succumbed to his injuries at the hospital," Jamil Ahmed, a senior police officer, told AFP.
The details were confirmed in a statement by Pakistan's military which branded the shootings a "terrorist act".
Police told media they had discovered 9mm cartridge cases at the scene."This is a very serious incident but we will track the attackers down soon," Ahmed said.
Police are frequently targeted by Islamist militants and criminal gangs in the volatile city of around 20 million, but attacks on the military are rarer.
The last incident occurred on November 20, when four paramilitary Rangers soldiers were killed in western Karachi while they were guarding a mosque.
Overall levels of militant, criminal and sectarian-linked violence have decreased significantly since paramilitary forces began a sweeping crackdown in 2013.
But rights activists have questioned their methods, alleging that hundreds have been killed extra-judicially in staged firefights.