Pakistan’s military announced on Wednesday that the security forces launched a raid on a train hijacked by separatist militants, killing all 33 attackers and ending a day-long standoff involving hundreds of hostages.
According to the Pakistani military, at least 346 hostages have been rescued, but during the standoff, 21 hostages and 4 security personnel were killed.
Military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated, “Today we rescued a large number of hostages, including women and children… The final stage of the operation was conducted very carefully.”
He mentioned that no civilians were killed in the final stage of the operation.
On Tuesday, a passenger train was hijacked by separatist militants in the southwestern province of Balochistan, with 440 people on board.
Pakistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry, in an interview with local Geo TV, said that the militants wore suicide vests and were among the hostages, making the rescue operation complicated. He stated that around 70 to 80 attackers hijacked the train.
Chaudhry added, “The military dispatched hundreds of security force members and deployed the air force and special forces to confront the militants.”
He explained that in the final stage of the operation, special forces first neutralized the suicide bombers, followed by clearing the remaining militants section by section in the train compartments.
He did not provide the number of rescued individuals in this stage, and it is currently unclear where the passengers will be evacuated to.
Prior to the statement from the Pakistani military, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), previously claiming responsibility for the incident, alleged on Wednesday night that they had killed 50 passengers. The organization had earlier claimed to have detained 214 people, mainly security personnel.
The BLA threatened to commence executing hostages if the authorities did not release Baloch political prisoners, activists, and alleged missing persons reportedly detained by the military within 48 hours.
Balochistan has several ethnic armed groups in conflict with the local government, with the BLA being the largest among them. The province shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran.
In recent months, militants have intensified their activities using new tactics, resulting in significant casualties and targeting the Pakistani military.
Balochistan, rich in oil and mineral resources, is Pakistan’s largest province by area and has the lowest population. The province is home to the Baloch ethnic minority in Pakistan. Members of this ethnic group have complained of discrimination and exploitation by the central government.
The Baloch armed groups claim their objective is to secure more regional resources from the central government.
(Adapted from relevant reports by Reuters)