One soldier was martyred and two others injured in a landmine blast in Mir Ali tehsil's Sarobi area in North Waziristan on Thursday, sources in the political administration said.

The martyred soldier was identified by the sources as Sepoy Amanullah, while the injured include Havaldar Fazal Abbas and Sepoy Nafees.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra expressed grief at the loss of precious lives and praised the sacrifices by the armed forces to ensure peace is maintained. He said that the whole nation was standing with the armed forces in their efforts against terrorism.

The uptick in attacks targeting security forces raises questions over the efficacy of counter-terror operations in different parts of the country, including North Waziristan where the army was said to have cleared the area of the presence of terrorists under Operation Zarb-i-Azb which was launched in June 2014.

At least 14 people, including eight military and paramilitary personnel, were killed in four separate attacks in North Waziristan last month.