Pakistan train attack: 190 passengers rescued, 30 militants killed

Karachi/Islamabad: Security forces rescued 190 passengers from a hijacked train, killing 30 Baloch militants in Pakistan's restive Balochistan, as they continued to battle heavily armed insurgents for a second day on Wednesday.

The Jaffar Express, carrying some 400 passengers in nine coaches, was going from Quetta to Peshawar when militants derailed it using explosives and hijacked it.

The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday when they said they killed six soldiers. However, there has been no confirmation from the Pakistani authorities on casualties.

The security forces, including the military and frontier corps, are battling the militants who took control of the train near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri in a tunnel 160 kilometres from Quetta.

The Balochistan government spokesman, Shahid Rind, said the operation would continue until all passengers were rescued.

Rind said extra care was being taken by the security forces because of the hostage situation.

Officials said that some of the militants wearing vests loaded with explosives had formed groups of women and children and forced them to sit near them. Due to the presence of women and children with the suicide bombers, the operation was being conducted with utmost caution, they added.

A security source said that 30 militants had been killed so far in the clean-up and rescue operation, while 190 passengers have been rescued. Around 30 people who sustained injuries had been sent to hospitals.

He said two drivers in the main engine and eight security personnel were killed during the operation.

This is the first time the BLA or any insurgent group in the Balochistan province have resorted to hijacking a passenger train, although in the last year, they have stepped up their attacks on security forces, installations and foreigners in different parts of the province.

The security source said it was not yet clear how many militants were involved in the attack, but some of them were using satellite phones to remain in touch with their handlers.

The Pakistan Railways have set up an emergency desk at the Peshawar and Quetta Railway stations as frantic relatives and friends try to get some information about their loved ones on the train.

Pakistan Railways had resumed train services to Peshawar from Quetta after a suspension of more than a month and a half.

The Pakistan media earlier reported intense firing and explosion near the tunnel, where the militants hijacked the train.

The insurgents claimed that they freed women and children. However, their claim was contested by officials, with Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry saying the hostages were rescued by the security forces.

Rana Muhammad Dilawar, a district police officer in the area where the train was stopped, said the security forces had surrounded the area, but there were reports that the militants had taken some women and children as hostages.

There were around four to five government officials on the train, he added.

Tariq Mahmood, a senior official of Peshawar Railway Station, said that people should not pay heed to rumours on social media.

Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year.

In the past, the railway tracks in this area have been attacked by Baloch militants using rockets or remote-controlled bombs, and the BLA claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.

In October last year, Pakistan Railways announced the restoration of train services between Quetta and Peshawar after a suspension of more than a month and a half. A month later, at least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station.

Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the oil and mineral-rich province.