All hostages taken by Baloch rebels in a dramatic train hijacking in Pakistan’s Balochistan province have been rescued, according to the army. The siege, which began on Tuesday, left 28 soldiers dead. Over 30 rebels were also killed in the military response.
All passengers held hostage by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) rebels in southwestern Pakistan have been rescued, a senior army official was quoted as saying by Pakistani media on Wednesday, adding that 28 soldiers were killed during the siege and the subsequent military operation. “All 346 hostages have been freed and over 30 terrorists were killed in the operation,” the official said. Among the dead are 27 off-duty soldiers who were travelling on the train and were killed by militants. One soldier was also killed during the rescue operation.
The train, carrying more than 450 passengers, was ambushed by BLA militants on Tuesday afternoon in a remote frontier district of Balochistan province. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack and released a video showing an explosion on the tracks, followed by dozens of armed militants storming the carriages from nearby mountainous terrain.
The BLA has carried out several recent attacks targeting security forces and non-local ethnic groups, whom they accuse of exploiting the province’s natural resources.