BY PC Bureau
July 24: At least 15 people, including 12 soldiers, were killed and more than a dozen others injured after a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a joint military-police checkpost in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province late Thursday night, triggering a fierce gun battle with security forces.
The attack occurred at the Manji Khel (also reported as Manjhi Khel) checkpost in Tank district along the strategic Tank–Dera Ismail Khan Road. According to the Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the suicide vehicle exploded after crashing into the security installation, causing extensive damage and partially collapsing the facility. Militants then opened fire on security personnel, leading to an exchange of gunfire.
The military said 12 soldiers were among those killed in the attack. Local media reports said the death toll also included two police personnel and a Forest Department official, although casualty figures varied slightly across reports. More than a dozen people were injured, with estimates ranging from 12 to over 30.
Security forces responded swiftly, killing between four and six militants during the ensuing operation, according to official statements and local media reports. Clearance and search operations remained underway on Friday to ensure no attackers had escaped.
The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistani authorities have blamed the militant outfit for a series of recent attacks on security installations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and have repeatedly accused militants of operating from sanctuaries across the Afghan border. Official statements also referred to the attackers as “Fitna al-Khawarij,” a term increasingly used by Pakistan’s military to describe TTP militants.
More than 12 Pakistani security personnel were reportedly killed after rebels carried out a massive suicide attack on the Manji Khel checkpost last night : Sources #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/ussptFxMLt
— PRATEEK BAJPAI (@prateekbajpai07) July 24, 2026
Following the bombing, authorities imposed a curfew across Tank district, enforced Section 144 prohibiting public gatherings, and placed hospitals on high alert to treat the wounded. Security was tightened across the region as bomb disposal teams and investigators examined the blast site.
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The attack is among the deadliest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year and highlights the continuing resurgence of militant violence in Pakistan’s northwest. Tank district, located near the Afghan border, has witnessed repeated attacks by the TTP, which has intensified its campaign against Pakistani security forces since the collapse of the ceasefire with Islamabad in late 2022.
The bombing follows a string of similar attacks in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where militants have increasingly used vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) followed by coordinated armed assaults on military and police installations.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Taliban-led Afghan government to prevent TTP militants from using Afghan territory to launch cross-border attacks, an allegation Kabul continues to deny. The escalating violence has further strained relations between the two neighbours even as Islamabad continues large-scale counter-terrorism operations in the region.
Authorities said the casualty toll could be revised as rescue, recovery and clearance operations continue.
