At least eight terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces when a group of militants descended on their convoy in Balochistan’s Kech district, the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Thursday.

“While alert and combat ready troops not only foiled this cowardly attempt without any loss of life, they also immediately commenced a follow-up operation to hunt down the fleeing terrorists using ground and aviation assets,” the military’s media wing said in a statement.

The security forces also found a suspected hideout of terrorists in Mazaaband Range where a “sanitisation operation” was launched.

A large cache of arms and ammunition including explosives has been recovered, it said, adding that security forces would continue to thwart any “attempt by inimical elements, on the behest of hostile intelligence agencies, to disrupt hard earned peace in the province.”

The development comes a day after security forces killed a terrorist during an exchange of fire in Spinwam area of the North Waziristan tribal district.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks since the end of a shaky ceasefire agreed upon between the country and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban. The attack on the Karachi Police Office was the latest in the recent wave of terrorism after a suicide bomber killed more than 80 people in a mosque in the supposedly fortified area of Peshawar.