Karachi/Islamabad: Twenty-one passengers and four paramilitary soldiers were killed by militants holding hostages after seizing control of a train in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, an army general said on Wednesday.
Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif told Dunya News TV that security forces killed all 33 militants present at the scene.
“The armed forces successfully concluded the operation in the (Wednesday) evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers safely,” Lt Gen Sharif said.
He said that 21 passengers were killed by the terrorists when they attacked the train on Tuesday. He added that four paramilitary Frontier Corps soldiers were also killed in the incident.
The Jaffar Express, carrying 440 passengers in nine coaches, was going from Quetta to Peshawar when militants derailed it using explosives and hijacked it near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri in a tunnel 160 kilometres from Quetta.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday when they said they killed six soldiers.
Lt Gen Sharif said that on March 11, around 1 PM, terrorists blew up a railway track in the Bolan Pass area of Osi Pur. He described the area as difficult terrain, where the terrorists initially used hostages, including women and children, as human shields. “The rescue operation began immediately, with participation from the Army, Air Force, Frontier Corps, and Special Services Group commandos,” he said.
During the operation, the terrorists remained in contact with their facilitators and masterminds in Afghanistan via satellite phones, he said, adding that it showed their foreign nexus.
Sharif said that forces took time to complete the operation because the terrorists were using the hostages as human shields.
By last evening, around 100 passengers had been safely rescued from the terrorists, he said, adding that a large number of hostages, including women and children, were freed on Wednesday.
“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,” he told Dunya News.
Sharif said that first, snipers neutralized the suicide bombers, followed by a step-by-step clearance of each train compartment, eliminating all terrorists present. He said that no passengers were harmed during the clearance operation.
Sharif stated that all terrorists present at the site had been eliminated, but the area and train were still being cleared as per standard operating procedures by the bomb disposal squad.
He said that efforts were also underway to gather passengers who had fled in different directions during the operation.
The general warned that “the train attack has changed the rule of the game”, without explaining it.
He said that the terrorists and their facilitators would be hunted down wherever they were. “We cannot allow anyone to target Pakistanis on the behalf of their foreign paymasters,” he said.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry earlier told the Geo News that the passengers included civilians, government employees and security personnel.
Earlier in the day, officials said that some of the militants wearing vests loaded with explosives had formed groups of women and children and forced them to sit near them. Due to the presence of women and children with the suicide bombers, the operation was being conducted with utmost caution, they added.
A security source earlier said that around 30 people who sustained injuries had been sent to hospitals.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi commended security forces for successfully rescuing all hostages and eliminating all 33 terrorists involved in the attack.
“This terrorist attack is a tragic and heartbreaking incident. Every citizen is deeply saddened,” he added. “Using innocent children and women as human shields is an utterly inhumane act.”
“Terrorists are a burden on this land, and with the nation’s support, the time has come to eradicate this menace once and for all,” he declared. “The facilitators of these terrorists will also be dealt with an iron hand.”
Mushtaq Muhammad, who was among the passengers rescued from the train, told the BBC Urdu service that there was a huge explosion and firing, a scene that can never be forgotten.
Ishaq Noor, who was travelling with his wife and two children, in coach number seven of the same train, said the explosion was so intense that the windows and doors of the train shook and one of my children, who was sitting near me, fell.
Seeing the firing and bullets hitting the coaches, Ishaq pulled one of his children under him while his wife pulled the other child under her so that “if a bullet hits us, the children will be saved.”
“The firing must have lasted for about fifty minutes… During this time, we were not even breathing, not knowing what would happen.”
Mushtaq said that the firing gradually stopped and the armed men entered the coaches.
“They started checking the identity cards of some people and separated some of them. Three militants were guarding the doors of our coach. They told the people that they would not say anything to civilians, women, old people and Baloch people,” he told BBC Urdu service.
Ishaq said that in the evening, the attackers told the passengers that they were releasing Baloch, women, children and elderly passengers.
This is the first time the BLA or any insurgent group in the Balochistan province have resorted to hijacking a passenger train, although since last year, they have stepped up their attacks on security forces, installations and foreigners in different parts of the province.
The US Embassy in Islamabad strongly condemned the attack on the train and the hostage-taking of passengers.
The US will remain a steadfast partner of Pakistan in its efforts to ensure the safety and security of all its citizens, it added. “We stand in solidarity with Pakistan during this difficult time.”
“We strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Balochistan on 11 March. Our deepest condolences go the people of Pakistan and families of victims. As the situation is still unfolding, we express our profound concern for the hostages and call for their immediate release,” EU Ambassador to Pakistan Riina Kionka said in a post on X.
Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year.
In the past, the railway tracks in this area have been attacked by Baloch militants using rockets or remote-controlled bombs, and the BLA claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.
In October last year, Pakistan Railways announced the restoration of train services between Quetta and Peshawar after a suspension of more than a month and a half. A month later, at least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station.
Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the oil and mineral-rich province.
