Twenty-seven militants were killed and 150 of the 450 passengers were rescued after the Jaffar Express train was hijacked while entering a tunnel in Bolan, Balochistan province, Pakistan.
Hundreds of separatist militants strapped explosive devices to their vests as they hijacked a moving train and took 300 people hostage in Pakistan.
Security forces acted cautiously as officials said the hostages were under threat from militants armed with explosives. Government spokesman Shahid Rind said Pakistani forces were being supported by helicopters in the remote area and described the attack as an “act of terrorism.”
At least 27 militants were killed and security forces rescued more than 150 of the 450 passengers on board the train when it was hijacked Tuesday as it entered a tunnel in Bolan, in restive Balochistan province, the first time militants have carried out such an attack.
The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the siege, saying it was open to prisoner exchange talks. The government has not yet responded to the insurgents’ offer. The BLA regularly attacks Pakistani security forces, but has also targeted civilians in the past, including Chinese nationals involved in multibillion-dollar projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
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Pakistan is hosting thousands of Chinese workers as part of Beijing’s multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build major infrastructure projects including ports and airports in Balochistan. China condemned the attack, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying her country would “continue to firmly support Pakistan in its efforts to combat terrorism.”
Authorities said women and children were among those rescued, while the number of security personnel killed remains unknown, according to three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The train was partly in a tunnel when gunmen blew up the tracks and stopped the locomotive and nine carriages, officials said. The driver was seriously injured by gunshot wounds and guards aboard the train were attacked, although details about the number of guards or their fate were not released.
The rescued passengers were sent back to their hometowns, while the injured were treated at hospitals in Balochistan's Mach district. Others were taken to Quetta, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away. The train was traveling from the provincial capital Quetta to the northern city of Peshawar when the attack occurred.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been a hotbed of separatist insurgencies, with militants demanding greater autonomy and a fair share of the region’s natural resources. But the main insurgencies are centered in Pakistan and Iran. The insurgencies on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border have antagonized both countries, with governments suspecting each other of supporting or at least tolerating some groups operating across the border.
In Iran, the militant group Jaish al-Adl has carried out numerous attacks in recent years. Tehran has asked Pakistan for help in combating the threat posed by Jaish al-Adl, while Pakistan has also demanded that Tehran deny safe haven to BLA fighters. In January 2024, both countries carried out retaliatory airstrikes against insurgents in each other’s border areas, killing at least 11 people, but the situation was later quickly de-escalated through negotiations.
The BLA, which has been waging an insurgency in Pakistan for years, said suicide bombers were guarding the hostages and some captured security personnel. The BLA warned that the hostages' lives would be at risk if the government did not agree to talks.
BLA spokesman Jiand Baloch said late Tuesday that the group was willing to release the passengers in exchange for the release of the militants. No government official has commented since. Similar demands have been rejected in the past.
Trains plying in Balochistan usually have security personnel on board as the military often uses trains to travel from Quetta, the capital of Baloch.
Sourse: www.mirror.co.uk
