The Pakistani military ended a 30-hour operation to rescue train passengers taken hostage by a rebel group in Balochistan. The attack was reportedly carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group seeking Balochistan’s secession from Pakistan. The military confirmed that 21 civilians and four security personnel were killed during the incident.
According to the army’s statement, all 33 rebels, including suicide bombers, were killed by security forces. The Jaffar Express, carrying 440 passengers in nine coaches, was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar when BLA members derailed the train using explosives and hijacked it near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri, about 160 kilometers from Quetta, on Tuesday.
The Quetta-Peshawar route, dotted with 17 tunnels, does not allow for high-speed travel. The Baloch separatists took advantage of this to hijack the train. The train controller claimed that the Jaffar Express was stopped near tunnel number 8.
In a statement, the army said: “Intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed that the attack was orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from Afghanistan, who were in direct communication with the terrorists throughout the incident.” It added, “Pakistan expects the Interim Afghan Government to uphold its responsibilities and deny the use of its soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan.”
Before the army’s announcement, the BLA had claimed that it had killed 50 passengers. The group had stated on Tuesday that it was holding 214 people, mostly security personnel.
Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif told a news channel: “The rescue operation continued periodically, and in the final clearance operation in the evening, all remaining hostages were secured. Since the terrorists were using passengers as human shields, the operation was conducted with extreme precision and caution.”
Earlier, Baloch insurgents released a video showing them blowing up the track to derail the train before taking the passengers hostage. The video shows the Jaffar Express, which was carrying over 400 passengers, mostly security personnel, passing through Sibi city when a bomb blast on the tracks forced it to halt.
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