Pakistan train siege ends, security forces kill all 33 militants

Pakistani security forces killed all 33 separatists who laid siege on Jaffar Express train in Balochistan, and rescued remaining hostages, officials said on Wednesday.

The ethnonationalist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the deadly train hijack that claimed the lives of 21 hostages and four soldiers.

The Jaffar Express carried more than 400 passengers, including 214 security personnel, and was headed to the northern city of Peshawar from Quetta when the BLA separatists ambushed it in Bolan, a district in the southwestern Pakistan.

They blew up the railway tracks as the train entered a tunnel, and opened gunfire, killing 11 people, including the loco pilot and paramilitary personnel.

The assailants were reportedly armed with rockets, grenades, and guns, and took hostages and moved them into the mountains in small groups.

The BLA, which has a history of carrying out attacks against the Pakistani government in the restive region, gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the government to release Baloch political prisoners and activists. They threatened to execute hostages if their demands were not met.

While the BLA initially claimed that none of its fighters had been killed and that it had released some hostages, Pakistan’s military confirmed that all the militants were killed and hostages were freed in a phased operation.

“After a prolonged, intense, and daring operation, the security forces successfully eliminated all 33 terrorists, including suicide bombers, while rescuing the hostages,” the military said in a statement.

A total of 178 hostages were rescued on Wednesday, in addition to the 168 freed a day earlier, the Pakistani army said.

Hundreds of troops, special forces, and military helicopters participated in the rescue mission. Some hostages had to reportedly walk for hours before reaching safety, given that the railway tracks were blown up by the separatists.

The survivors were taken to safety by a special train organized by the army.

The Pakistani military said intelligence reports “unequivocally” confirmed that the attack was orchestrated and directed by terrorist leaders operating from Afghanistan, who maintained direct communication with the assailants.

Pakistan has accused the Afghan government of harboring militant groups such as the BLA and the Pakistani Taliban, a claim that has been denied by Kabul.

The Pakistani military urged Afghanistan’s interim government to prevent its territory from being used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and called it a “cowardly act”.

“Targeting innocent passengers during the peaceful and blessed month of Ramadan clearly reflects that these terrorists have no connection with Islam, Pakistan, or Balochistan,” he said.

Sharif is expected to visit Quetta on Thursday to meet with the families of victims and oversee relief efforts.

Authorities have arranged for the transportation of victims’ bodies to their hometowns, and the injured are receiving medical treatment.

Balochistan, which is Pakistan’s largest province by size and home to 15 million people, is the least developed region in the country. It faced several uprisings by separatist groups, with attacks increasing in recent years.

The region boasts valuable minerals and natural resources like copper and gas, which separatist groups such as the BLA say the government is unfairly using.

Groups like the BLA have been seeking independence from Pakistan and have accused the government of arresting or making people disappear for speaking against it.

China, a major investor in Pakistan’s infrastructure projects, strongly condemned the attack, with a spokesperson from China’s foreign affairs ministry reaffirming Beijing’s support for Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts.