PESHAWAR/TANK – A deadly terrorist assault on a Joint Police Check Post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district left 15 security personnel martyred after heavily armed militants launched a coordinated attack followed by a devastating vehicle-borne suicide blast, marking one of the deadliest strikes on security forces in recent months, ISPR said Friday.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the attack took place during the night of July 23-24, when militants identified by the military as Fitna Al Khwarij attempted to storm the check post. Security personnel responded immediately, engaging the attackers in an intense firefight that foiled the infiltration attempt before they could seize the facility.
The military said troops chased the fleeing militants and killed 12 attackers during the operation, dealing what officials described as a major blow to the group’s assault. However, after failing to breach the check post, the attackers detonated an explosives-laden vehicle against the compound’s perimeter wall. The massive explosion ripped through the security installation, causing extensive structural damage and triggering heavy casualties.
The blast claimed the lives of 15 personnel, including 12 soldiers, two police officials and one Forest Department employee, all of whom died while defending the post. The military described them as having embraced martyrdom in the line of duty.
After the attack, security forces launched a large-scale sanitisation operation across the area to hunt down any militants who may have escaped. Additional troops have been deployed as intelligence-based operations continue in and around Tank district.
The military maintained that counterterrorism operations under the nationwide Azm-e-Istehkam campaign, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan, will continue with full force to eliminate militant networks and prevent future attacks.
Army’s media wing said the sacrifices of the fallen personnel strengthen Pakistan’s determination to defeat terrorism and safeguard the country’s peace and security, adding that those responsible for attacks on security forces will continue to be relentlessly pursued.
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