ISLAMABAD: A day after seven soldiers, including a captain, were killed in a terrorist attack in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday pledged to "consistently eliminate terrorism" from the country.

The incident occurred when terrorists attacked a convoy of security personnel headed towards Saraband Post Kachchi Kamar in Lakki Marwat district.

The terrorists first detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) and later started firing on the convoy.

"Deeply saddened by the martyrdom of Pak Army soldiers, including a Captain, in a targeted attack in Lakki Marwat district," Sharif said in a post on Twitter.

Expressing grief over the deaths, he said, "The sacrifice of our brave soldiers and civilians is a debt to us which we must repay by continuously eliminating terrorism from our country."

According to security officials, Lakki Marwat is a stronghold of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists.

Pakistan faces an emerging TTP, which reportedly has a strong presence in Afghanistan and also uses its territory for hideouts and training and to carry out cross-border attacks.

Islamabad is pressurizing Kabul to take action against them, but to no avail so far.