Pakistan’s army has said it has freed more than 300 hostages from a train hundreds of separatist militants hijacked in a remote and volatile region.
At least 33 militants were killed in gunfire exchanges which started on Tuesday, when militants stormed the train travelling through a tunnel in Balochistan.
Twenty-one hostages and four members of the military were killed before the army’s operation started, a military spokesperson said, adding that its search operation is ongoing to rule out lasting threats. The militants said they killed 50 passengers. The Independent was not able to verify the militants’ account.
The security forces held off from full-out battles as militants wearing suicide vests loaded with explosives barricaded themselves inside the train with passengers in the rugged Bolan area.
Helicopters backed up the Pakistani forces desperately trying to free hostages.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has taken responsibility for the attack, demanding the release of jailed militants in exchange for the release of the passengers. There has been no comment from the government, which has previously rejected similar demands.
Hostages and some captured Pakistan security force members were guarded by suicide bombers, the BLA said.
“This is an act of terrorism,” government spokesman Shahid Rind said.
Footage released by the BLA shows the moment the militants blew up the railway, erupting in a black cloud of smoke and trapping the Jafar Express train in a tunnel before opening fire on the onboard security staff. Some BLA fighters are believed to have then gathered on a hill in the distance as the train came to a halt.
Balochistan trains typically have security personnel on board as military often travel from Quetta to other parts of the country by train.
The attack, which wounded the driver, happened while the train was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, police and railway officials said.
Reports of heavy fire on the railway were confirmed by a Balochistan government spokesperson yesterday.
The tough terrain made it hard for authorities to access the site, the spokesperson added, but a relief train was sent and security forces are active in the area.
The train was stopped in a mountainous area where militants have easier access to hiding and planning.
