Four Frontier Corps soldiers were martyred in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion on the Margat-Quetta road in Balochistan, the military's media wing said in a statement on Monday.

"Terrorists targeted Frontier Corps troops employed for [the] security of Margat Mines" using an IED, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The martyred personnel included a junior commissioned officer of FC Balochistan.

They were identified as Subedar Sardar All Khan and sepoys Musaddaf Hussain, Muhammad Anwar and Awais Khan.

Soon after the attack, a large-scale search operation was initiated by the security forces to hunt the terrorists.

“Such cowardly acts by inimical elements cannot sabotage the hard-earned peace and prosperity in Balochistan,” the ISPR said.

It added that security forces were determined to "neutralise their nefarious designs even at the cost of [their] blood and lives".

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, while expressing grief on the martyrdom of the four FC personnel, said the operation by security forces would continue till the last terrorist was present in the country.

He termed the attack as "very sad" and extended his condolences to the heirs of the martyred soldiers.

The minister stressed that terrorists could not demoralise the security forces with their "cowardly attacks".

He lamented that anti-national elements were targeting Balochistan because the province was the guarantor of Pakistan's development.

Opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack, saying it was “highly concerning that Balochistan is a target of renewed terrorist attacks”.

Last month, three FC soldiers were martyred and another was injured in an attack on a check-post in a coalmine field area of Margat in Bolan district.

In February, five FC members were martyred and two others injured in two attacks in different areas of Balochistan.