A terrorist attack on a joint police checkpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district martyred 15 people, including 14 security personnel, the military’s media wing said on Friday.

Among those martyred are 12 soldiers, two policemen and a government official.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the attack took place early on Friday and was carried out by Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term used to designate members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Elaborating on the incident, the military’s media wing said the attackers attempted to breach the checkpost’s perimeter, but their attempts were “swiftly and decisively foiled by the vigilant and resolute response of security forces.”

The security personnel deployed at the checkpost displayed “unwavering courage and professional excellence” and engaged and eliminated 12 terrorists, the ISPR added.

The statement added that the attackers then rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall.

“Due to [the] blast impact, infrastructure at [the] checkpost was seriously damaged; resultantly, 15 brave sons of [the] soil, including 12 military, two policemen and a government official ex forest department, rendered the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat (martyrdom),” the statement read.

ISPR added that a sanitisation operation was ongoing to track down any other terrorists in the area, vowing that under the “relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”.

“These sacrifices of our brave soldiers further reinforce our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our nation at all costs,” ISPR said.

Last week, security forces killed 24 terrorists in KP’s Bannu district and its adjoining areas in the last 24 hours, the military’s media affairs wing said in a statement.

The statement by ISPR said that there had been a recent “surge” in terrorist activities against police and suicide bombings in Bannu.

“Security forces have initiated extensive joint intelligence-based operations to hunt the perpetrators of these heinous attacks and their support infrastructure.

“Accordingly, in the last 24 hours, following fierce fire exchanges in Bannu district and adjoining areas, 24 khawarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna-al-khawarij have been sent to hell,” the statement said.

In May, at least 15 police personnel were martyred after a suicide attack on the Fateh Khel police post in KP’s Bannu district.

The terrorists launched their attack on the post by ramming a vehicle laden with explosives.

KP has seen a rise in terrorist attacks over the past year.

According to the Annual Security Report 2025 from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), KP recorded a significant surge in violence last year as “fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025”.

Due to a resurgence of militancy, especially in KP and Balochistan, where attacks often target security personnel and LEAs, the state has intensified counter-terrorism operations.