Militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a security check post in north-western Pakistan overnight, killing 15 people including soldiers, police and government personnel, the military said on Friday.

“Fifteen brave sons of soil including twelve military, two policemen and a government official ex forest department rendered the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat (martyrdom),” the military’s media wing said in a statement on the latest attack in the border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Security forces killed 12 militants during the attack, which took place in Tank district, according to the military.

“The attackers rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall,” the statement said. “Due to blast impact, infrastructure at check post was seriously damage.”

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the area has been gripped by a growing violent campaign by the Islamist militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group.

Pakistan has previously blamed the increase in attacks in KP and the southern border province of Balochistan on militancy emanating from Afghanistan, where the Taliban government denies Afghan involvement.

The accusations have sparked a bitter rift and armed conflict between the neighbouring countries and Pakistan has carried out deadly airstrikes it says targets militants on Afghan soil.

The Taliban government and the United Nations said dozens of civilians were killed in the latest Pakistani strikes on eastern Afghanistan in June.