The Pakistani army said the tense standoff between forces and Jaffer Express hijackers concluded on Wednesday as it killed all the rebels involved in the ambush and secured the release of the hostages even as uncertainty prevailed over the number of casualties.
An army spokesperson said that security personnel killed 33 Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) members and secured the release of all the hostages, although he did not specify their number. “The armed forces successfully concluded the operation on [Wednesday] evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers. All 33 terrorists have been sent to hell…” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a televised broadcast.
He said that four Frontier Corps personnel were killed during the rescue operation and added that the militants killed 21 hostages before the force’s final push. “Four Frontier Corps personnel embraced martyrdom during the clearance operation… The terrorists martyred 21 train passengers before the force’s operation,” he said.
However, in a series of statements earlier in the day, BLA said it killed 60 captives—all of whom it said were linked to the Pakistan security establishment—to retaliate against security forces’ aggression and shot dead another 40 personnel in gunfights over two days.
“In direct retaliation to Pakistan’s persistent aggression… the BLA has executed 50 additional captive enemy personnel… Earlier, in response to last night’s Pakistani drone strike, 10 enemy personnel were executed. Additionally, in today’s [Wednesday] clashes, another 10 Pakistani soldiers were eliminated, while 30 were killed in combat yesterday [Tuesday]. This brings the total number of eliminated enemy personnel to over 100, while approximately 150 more hostages remain under BLA custody,” the group said. An AFP photographer in Quetta witnessed about 150 empty coffins being transported by train to the incident site on Wednesday but security officials said that does not imply that 150 people were killed.
BLA militants on Tuesday ambushed the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express as it travelled through British-era tunnels in the mountainous Balochistan province, blowing up a section of railway track and trapping the convoy in difficult terrain around 1pm. The attack occurred in rural Sibi district, near a city station where the train had been due to stop. Railway officials said more than 450 passengers were aboard when the train came under attack.
BLA demanded the release of “Baloch political prisoners” and “national resistance activists” in exchange for hostages, warning that it will execute all the captives within 48 hours if its demand isn’t met.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called one of the most brazen militant operations in the region in recent years a “cowardly act” and offered condolences to the families of the deceased personnel.
“The entire nation is deeply shocked by this dastardly act and saddened by the loss of innocent lives—such cowardly acts will not shake Pakistan’s resolve for peace… I offer my heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyrs. Dozens of terrorists have been sent to hell,” he said in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, security officers said hundreds of troops and teams in helicopters were drafted into the effort to rescue the hostages, with minister of state for interior Talal Chaudhry saying the terrorists were using suicide bombers, which was hampering the rescue operation.
“The terrorists have made human shields out of women and children. These suicide bombers are making small groups of the women and children and staying with them,” he said.
In his address, lieutenant general Chaudhary said that forces used snipers to eliminate the suicide bombers. “Suicide bombers were sitting amid the passengers’ groups, as well as next to them. Force’s snipers took out the suicide bombers. Following which the passengers fled to nearby areas,” he said.
“Security forces’ snipers killed the suicide bombers. This operation was conducted with great skill and care since terrorists were using the passengers as human shields,” he said.
He said the handlers of the terrorists were in touch with handlers in Afghanistan. “These terrorists were in contact with their supporters and masterminds in Afghanistan during the operation via satellite phone,” he said.
The BLA is the largest of several ethnic militant groups that have waged a decades-long insurgency against the Pakistani government, seeking independence for Balochistan province. The oil-and mineral-rich region borders both Afghanistan and Iran and is Pakistan’s largest but least populated province.
Baloch nationalists claim the central government exploits the province’s natural resources, including natural gas, coal, copper, and gold, while the local population remains impoverished. The insurgency has intensified in recent years, with militants increasingly targeting Chinese workers and investments in the region, which they view as furthering Pakistan’s exploitation of their homeland.