KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday vowed that Islamabad will not surrender to terrorists, a day after a terrorist attack killed more than two dozen of soldiers in the country's northwest.

“We will not surrender to terrorists. We have fought and won the war against terrorism, and will continue to retain this victory, “ Kakar said during a visit to a military hospital to see army troops injured in Tuesday's attack in Dera Ismail Khan district.

At least 28 soldiers and three policemen were killed and several others injured in a series of terrorist attacks and a security operation in Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday.

The so-called Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, an affiliate of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack, one of the deadliest in recent years.

“You (militants) have lost this war. You are fighting a lost battle, while we are fighting a battle that we have already won, “ he said.

“I have a message for you (militants); have mercy on your children, and surrender because you cannot win, “ Kakar said, adding that those who surrender will be accorded concessions as per law.

Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorist attacks since the Taliban’s storming back into power in Kabul two years ago.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan-based militants of carrying out attacks on security forces and civilians in Pakistan, a charge Kabul has denied.