At least nine Pakistani soldiers were killed when dozens of militants staged an attack in the country’s restive southwestern Balochistan province.

Axar.az informs, citing AFP, the attack on Monday happened the same day the US State Department listed the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as a foreign terrorist organization after a string of deadly assaults claimed by the group.

A senior government official of Washuk district, where the assault took place, said dozens of militants attacked a police station and a border force compound.

“The army was attacked by terrorists on their way to respond. The terrorists killed nine soldiers,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

“There were around 40 to 50 terrorists on motorbikes who attacked government buildings and ransacked them,” said a senior official from the province’s interior department who asked not to be named, confirming to AFP that nine soldiers were killed.

The officials said that six other soldiers were also wounded in the attack.