International Desk: Security forces are conducting an operation to rescue passengers held hostage by members of an armed group on a passenger train in Balochistan, Pakistan. At least 104 people have already been rescued. At least 16 members of the armed group have been killed by security forces. BBC reports.
Pakistani media outlet Geo News reported that an armed group attacked a passenger train named Zafar Express from Quetta to Peshawar near the Bolan area of Balochistan on Tuesday (March 11). They opened fire indiscriminately and took the passengers hostage. The train is now stuck inside a tunnel. The train driver was seriously injured.
Balochistan Railway Controller Muhammad Kashif said that there were about 500 passengers on the nine-coach train.
Geo News reported that security forces have surrounded the area and launched an operation to rescue all the passengers.
The latest information from the operation says that the security forces have rescued 104 hostages. Among the rescued are 58 men, 31 women, and 15 children. In addition, 17 injured passengers have been taken to a local hospital for treatment. The security forces are still conducting operations to safely rescue the other passengers. It is reported that 16 members of the armed group were killed in the operation.
The banned armed group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack on the train. In a statement posted on social media, BLA spokesman Ziand Baloch said that BLA fighters blew up the railway tracks and forced the train to stop, then they boarded the train. All the hostages will be killed if the security forces do not leave the area.
The BLA has denied any casualties in the operation by the security forces overnight on Tuesday. Instead, it has claimed that 30 soldiers were killed. However, the Pakistan army has not confirmed this information.
Geo News reported that the terrorists are in touch with their masterminds in Afghanistan and are using women and children as human shields. In addition, the difficult terrain of the area is complicating the operation. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) wants independence for the Balochistan province. The group has been fighting the government for decades on this issue. The BLA claims that the government is unjustly occupying Balochistan’s gas and mineral resources.
