Soldiers stand guard at a railway station in the southwestern city of Sibi in Baluchistan province on March 12, 2025, during a security operation against militants, a day after they attacked and took passengers hostage.
Security sources said Wednesday that a Pakistani military operation rescued 155 passengers and killed 27 terrorists, a day after the attack on the train in Balochistan, a restive province in southwestern Pakistan.
The Jaffar Express, with about 450 passengers on board, was traveling north from Quetta, Balochistan, Peshawar, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces when it came under bomb and gunfire attack on Tuesday.
The train has been stuck in a tunnel near Sibi in Balochistan province since Tuesday afternoon. Some people were injured in the initial attack, including the train driver. At least 37 injured people have been taken to various hospitals for treatment.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) quickly claimed responsibility for the indiscriminate attack. In a statement to the media, the banned separatist militant group claimed to have taken more than 200 hostages, which it said were security and intelligence personnel.
Without sharing any details about the number of hostages or their backgrounds, security sources said Wednesday that it was highly likely that the hostages were being held by suicide bombers in three separate locations.
The suicide bombers wore jackets rigged with explosives, the security source said, adding that the suicide bombers used innocent people as human shields.
Threatening to kill the hostages, the BLA group demanded the release of political prisoners, missing persons and what it called resistance workers held in Balochistan jails. In a statement released hours after the attack, the group gave the authorities 48 hours to comply with the demand.
Authorities have not publicly responded to the BLA’s demands.
“The attack on the Jaffar Express is an attack on national security and will be responded to with full force,” said Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bukti, who also condemned the attack.
Security sources said Wednesday a Pakistani military operation rescued 155 passengers and killed 27 terrorists, a day after an attack on a train in Pakistan’s restive southwestern Balochistan province.
The Jaffar Express, with roughly 450 people on board, was traveling north from Quetta, Balochistan, to Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when it came under a bomb and gun attack Tuesday.
The train remains blocked in a tunnel near Sibbi, Balochistan since Tuesday afternoon.
Injured in the initial attack, the driver of the train has died. At least 37 injured people are in hospitals for treatment.
The Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, quickly claimed responsibility for the brazen attack. In a statement to the media, the banned separatist militant group claimed to be holding more than 200 hostages, which it said were security and intelligence personnel.
Without sharing details about the number of hostages or their background, security sources said Wednesday that potential suicide bombers were holding hostages in three different places.
Suicide bombers are wearing suicide jackets, security sources said, adding that suicide bombers were using innocent people as human shields.
