More than 340 train passengers taken hostage by a militant group were freed Wednesday by security forces after a 30-hour siege, an army official told AFP, confirming that 27 off-duty soldiers were shot by militants.
“346 hostages were freed and over 30 terrorists were killed during the operation,” an army official told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The 27 slain soldiers had been travelling on the train as passengers, the army official said.
One on-duty soldier was killed in the clearance operation.
An Army General confirmed that twenty-one passengers were killed by militants.
Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif told Dunya News TV that security forces killed all 33 militants present at the scene.
Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar also confirmed that the 33 terrorists who held Pakistani citizens hostage have been eliminated.
“We thank Allah that the operation in Balochistan has reached its logical conclusion,” he said.
“There were 440 passengers on board the train, and the Pakistan Army, FC (Frontier Corps), SSG (Special Service Group) and Air Force executed this operation with great skill,” he said.
Lt Gen Sharif said, ” The armed forces successfully concluded the operation in the (Wednesday) evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers safely.”
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.
Security officials said troops rescued 346 hostages and the operation had concluded. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
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.
“346 hostages were freed and over 30 terrorists were killed during the operation,” an army official told AFP, adding that 27 off-duty soldiers who were passengers on the train were killed by militants, and one soldier killed during the operation,” the official said.
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.
Meanwhile, according to The Balochistan Post, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) issued a statement to the media claiming that none of their fighters were harmed due to their “excellent defensive tactics and complete battlefield control.”
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.
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident on X, saying, “Dozens of the terrorists have been sent to hell.”
He stated that he spoke with Balochistan CM Sarfaraz Bugti for updates on the attack. Sharif called the nation “deeply shocked” by the tragedy but vowed such acts would not shake Pakistan’s resolve for peace.
The Jaffar Express, carrying around 400 passengers in nine bogies, was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar when armed men intercepted it in a tunnel near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri on Tuesday afternoon.
