Pakistani security forces launched a full-scale operation Wednesday to rescue passengers taken hostage by militants in the country’s southwest, with security officials saying 155 people had been freed in the past 24 hours.
The train, carrying more than 450 passengers, was ambushed Tuesday at the entrance of a tunnel in Balochistan’s remote Sibi district. The attackers, militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), bombed a section of the railway track before storming the train.
"Information suggests some militants have fled, taking an unknown number of hostages into the mountains," a security official in the area told Agence France-Presse (AFP). At least three people, including the train driver, were killed during the standoff. Security sources said the assailants had positioned suicide bombers near captive passengers.
A security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the launch of a large-scale military operation to free the remaining hostages. "Security forces have safely rescued 155 passengers ... 27 terrorists have been eliminated," the official said.
The BLA, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Pakistani state, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has escalated assaults on security forces and civilians from outside the province, whom they accuse of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources.
Passengers who managed to escape described harrowing scenes. "Our women pleaded with them, and they spared us," said Babar Masih, a 38-year-old Christian laborer. "They told us to get out and not look back. As we ran, I saw many others fleeing alongside us."
Militants reportedly checked passengers’ identity cards, targeting those from outside Balochistan.
"They checked IDs and service cards, shot two soldiers in front of me, and took the other four," one survivor said. "Those who were Punjabis were taken away."
At Quetta’s railway station, paramilitary forces delivered empty coffins to be sent to the attack site. "I can't describe how we escaped. It was terrifying," said Muhammad Bilal, who was traveling with his mother on the Jaffar Express.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been plagued by insurgency. The BLA, which claims to fight for an independent Balochistan, has intensified attacks, particularly against Pakistan’s security forces and Chinese-backed infrastructure projects.
The group carried out coordinated highway assaults last year, targeting travelers from other ethnic backgrounds. It also claimed responsibility for a February attack that killed 17 paramilitary soldiers. This month, a female suicide bomber targeted security personnel.
"The valuable natural resources in Balochistan belong to the Baloch nation," the BLA said in a statement. "Pakistani military generals and their Punjabi elite are looting these resources for their luxury."
Authorities have restricted access to parts of Balochistan, where China has invested billions in infrastructure, including a deep-sea port in Gwadar.
Security forces have been battling insurgents for decades, but violence surged last year. According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies, 2024 was Pakistan’s deadliest year in a decade, with militant attacks rising along the Afghan border.
Islamabad blames Kabul for harboring militants who orchestrate attacks inside Pakistan, a charge the Taliban government denies.
