Fifteen people, including 12 Pakistan Army personnel, two police officers and a former Forest Department official, were martyred after militants attacked a joint police check post in Tank district during the night of July 23 and 24, the military’s media wing said on Friday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, which the state refers to as Fitna al-Khawarij, attempted to breach the security of the check post.
The ISPR said troops deployed at the post responded promptly and prevented the attackers from entering the facility. Security personnel subsequently engaged the fleeing militants and killed 12 of them.
During the attack, the militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the check post, causing extensive damage to its infrastructure.
The impact of the blast resulted in the martyrdom of 15 personnel and officials, including 12 soldiers, two police officers and a government official formerly associated with the Forest Department, the statement said.
A sanitisation operation was launched in the area to locate and eliminate any remaining militants.
The ISPR said security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue their counterterrorism campaign under the Azm-i-Istehkam initiative, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan.
“The sacrifices of our brave soldiers further reinforce our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our nation at all costs,” the military’s media wing said.
