Terrorists attacked on a joint security checkpost in Tank district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, left 15 people dead on Friday, including 14 members of the security forces and one government official, according to the military's media wing.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the checkpost came under attack from militants it identified as belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, referred to in the statement by the designation "Fitna-al-Khawarij." Security personnel first repelled an attempt to breach the post's perimeter, engaging and killing 12 attackers in the process, ISPR said.

The militants then drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the boundary wall, causing extensive structural damage. Twelve soldiers, two police officers, and one forestry department official were killed in the resulting blast ; a toll ISPR described as the "ultimate sacrifice."

A clearance operation is now underway in the surrounding area to locate any remaining attackers, the statement added, with security forces vowing to continue counter-terrorism operations under the "Azm-i-Istehkam" campaign framework endorsed by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan.

The Tank attack follows a string of similar incidents across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent months. Last week, ISPR reported that 24 militants were killed in intelligence-based operations in Bannu district after a surge in attacks targeting police posts and a spate of suicide bombings in the area. In May, at least 15 police personnel were martyred when a vehicle-borne explosive device struck the Fateh Khel police post, also in Bannu.

Security officials have repeatedly linked the intensified militant activity in the province to what they describe as foreign-backed support networks, and have pledged sustained operations to dismantle them.

This report draws on statements issued by ISPR. The Balochistan Dispatch will update this story as further details become available.