"Today's mindless attack in Manipur is very distressing. I bow to each and every soldier who has sacrificed his life for the nation," he said.
Using rocket-propelled grenades(RPG) and automatic weapons, insurgents ambushed a military convoy killing at least 20 personnel in the worst such attack in recent years.
Eleven armymen were injured in the ambush, an Army spokesman said.
A team of 6 Dogra Regiment was on a road opening patrol (ROP) as part of its daily routine along Tengnoupal-New Samtal road, about 80 km from Imphal, when it was attacked by an unidentified insurgent outfit first with a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED), a police official said in Imphal.