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Qadir Baloch claims 150 army personnel killed
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Baloch separatists hold 182 passengers hostage
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The attack on the Jaffer Express passenger train took place near Ab-e-Gum area of Mach Town in Balochistan
- “We will execute the captives if Pakistani forces launch an operation”
QUETTA, Pakistan.March 11(Agencies) – In a brazen attack on Tuesday, separatist militants hijacked a passenger train carrying over 400 people in the mountainous Bolan district of Balochistan, southwestern Pakistan. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed responsibility for the assault, stated it was holding scores of security personnel hostage and demanded a prisoner exchange with the Pakistani government. The group threatened to execute the hostages if its demands were not met.
The fate of many passengers remains uncertain, though security officials confirmed the rescue of at least 104 individuals, primarily women and children. Seventeen injured passengers were transported to a hospital for treatment. The train, en route from Quetta to Peshawar, became stranded in a tunnel approximately 100 miles from Quetta after militants opened fire, killing the driver.
Authorities faced significant challenges in reaching the ambush site due to the rugged terrain. Helicopters were deployed from a military air base in Quetta as part of an ongoing rescue operation. Security forces reported killing at least 16 militants and surrounding the area, though some fighters dispersed into nearby mountains, taking hostages with them.
The attack underscores the growing sophistication of the separatist insurgency in Balochistan, a region plagued by violence and home to major Chinese-led infrastructure projects. The B.L.A., which has a history of high-profile attacks, initially claimed to have taken 182 hostages, including security personnel, but later revised the figure to 214. The government has yet to confirm these numbers.
This incident highlights the deteriorating security situation in Balochistan, where separatist groups have intensified attacks on infrastructure, security forces, and Chinese interests. Abdul Basit, a senior associate fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, noted that the attack reflects both the increasing operational capabilities of separatist groups and the weakening control of the government in the region.
At Quetta railway station, anxious families of passengers gathered, seeking updates. Rashid Hussain, a trader, expressed his frustration, saying, “Neither roads nor trains are safe in this province.”
Train services in the region had only recently resumed in October after a two-month suspension due to militant attacks on railway tracks.
