Ten soldiers were martyred in an attack on a military checkpost on Tuesday night, in the Dasht area of Balochistan’s Kech district near the border of Iran, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement on Thursday.

One terrorist was killed and several others injured, it read, while security forces arrested three terrorists in the follow-up clearance operation that is still under way.

In a tweet on Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan paid tribute to the martyred army personnel and expressed the nation’s commitment to rid the country of all forms of terrorism.

“Our brave soldiers continue to lay down their lives to keep us safe from terrorists. I salute the 10 martyred soldiers who repulsed a terrorist fire raid on checkpost in Kech Balochistan,” it read.

The country has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks over the last three months, including recent attacks on police personnel in Islamabad and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif was grieved over the incident.

“Heartbroken at the martyrdom of 10 soldiers of armed forces in a terrorist attack in Balochistan. The renewed spate of terrorism is more deadly & seeks to reverse the gains we have made. We stand solidly behind our brave soldiers to root out terrorism & are proud of their sacrifices,” he said in a tweet.

Moreover, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also offered condolences to the families of martyred soldiers.

In a statement, shared by the PPP on Twitter, he said: “Soldiers, who sacrificed their lives for peace in Balochistan, are the nation’s heroes.”