Pakistan’s military has been engaged in a deadly standoff for more than 24 hours with armed militants who hijacked a train and took hostages, in a dramatic escalation of an insurgency that has plagued the region for decades.
Around 450 passengers were on the Jaffer Express en route from Balochistan’s capital Quetta to Peshawar in the north when militants opened intense gunfire as the train traveled through a tunnel early in its journey.
Among the hostages are active-duty personnel from the Pakistani military, police, Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF), and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-all of whom were traveling to Punjab on leave.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group active in mineral-rich southwestern Balochistan province, claimed responsibility for the attack that took place yesterday inside the Bolan tunnel.
The rebel group, which threatened to execute all passengers if any rescue attempt was made for the detained military personnel, had demanded the release of its jailed members in exchange for the hostages.
However, a report on Wednesday revealed that 180 hostages had been rescued and 27 militants killed, following a military operation launched by Pakistan to confront the attackers, who allegedly used women and children as human shields.
One rescued woman described scenes of chaos following the attack, likening it to the “Day of Judgement.” stating she fled gunfire and walked for two hours to reach safety.
Another passenger Mohammad Ashraf told newsmen that he saw more than 100 armed individuals on the train and that no harm was inflicted on women and children.
The government official disclosed that at least 10 civilians and members of Pakistan’s security forces had been killed in the process.
Meanwhile, scores of injured hostages have been taken to hospital for treatment, with an effort to rescue those still kidnapped underway.
Reacting to the attack, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to “continue to fight against the monster of terrorism until it is completely eradicated from the country.”
In a statement, he said the “terrorists’ targeting of innocent passengers during the peaceful and blessed month of Ramadan is a clear reflection that these terrorists have no connection with the religion of Islam, Pakistan, and Balochistan.”.
