Attack on checkpoint in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa kills 15 security personnel, 12 militants dead in retaliatory fire

Those killed in the attack included 12 soldiers, two police officers and a former forest department official, the military said.

A suicide bomber backed by armed militants attacked a security checkpoint in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing 15 security personnel, the military said on Friday.

According to the military, the overnight attack took place in the Tank district, where security forces successfully repelled the initial assault and killed 12 militants during the operation.

The military said the attackers first attempted to storm the checkpoint but were forced back by security personnel. The militants then rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the facility, causing a powerful explosion that inflicted extensive damage on the checkpoint.

Those killed in the attack included 12 soldiers, two police officers and a former forest department official, the military said.

Pakistan’s military blamed the attack on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. The TTP is separate from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban but is considered an allied militant group.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the TTP.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of providing safe haven to TTP militants operating across the border. Kabul has consistently rejected the allegations.

The military said a clearance operation was underway in the area to locate and eliminate any remaining attackers.

Pakistan has experienced a rise in militant violence in recent years, with security forces and police frequently targeted in attacks. Authorities have attributed much of the violence to the TTP and affiliated militant groups.

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A suicide bomber backed by armed militants attacked a security checkpoint in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing 15 security personnel, the military said on Friday.

According to the military, the overnight attack took place in the Tank district, where security forces successfully repelled the initial assault and killed 12 militants during the operation.

The military said the attackers first attempted to storm the checkpoint but were forced back by security personnel. The militants then rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the facility, causing a powerful explosion that inflicted extensive damage on the checkpoint.

Those killed in the attack included 12 soldiers, two police officers and a former forest department official, the military said.

Pakistan’s military blamed the attack on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. The TTP is separate from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban but is considered an allied militant group.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the TTP.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of providing safe haven to TTP militants operating across the border. Kabul has consistently rejected the allegations.

The military said a clearance operation was underway in the area to locate and eliminate any remaining attackers.

Pakistan has experienced a rise in militant violence in recent years, with security forces and police frequently targeted in attacks. Authorities have attributed much of the violence to the TTP and affiliated militant groups.