Security forces have rescued at least 155 passengers and killed 27 terrorists as a rescue operation continues into its second day after terrorists hijacked the Jaffer Express train near Balochistan’s Bolan district, state media said on Wednesday.
The unprecedented hostage situation began on Tuesday near the Mashkaf Tunnel, about 157 kilometers from Quetta, when terrorists attacked the Jaffer Express and took more than 400 passengers hostage, including numerous security personnel.
Security forces claimed to have rescued around 155 passengers so far — including women and children — from the attackers, state-run Radio Pakistan reported today, citing security sources.
The security sources added that 27 terrorists had been killed by security forces so far while the operation to eliminate the remaining assailants was continuing.
The report further said 37 injured had been sent for medical treatment.
“The terrorists responsible for the cowardly attack on Jaffar Express are in contact with their facilitators in Afghanistan,” Radio Pakistan further said.
“The terrorists have positioned suicide bombers very close to some innocent hostages. The suicide bombers are wearing explosive vests,” the report quoted security sources as saying.
“In anticipation of possible defeat, the terrorists are using innocent people as human shields,” the report said.
It added that suicide bombers have “taken women and children hostage at three different locations” and that the operation was being conducted with “utmost caution” due to the presence of women and children.
Although hampered by the remoteness of the area, security forces said they had launched a massive operation in the Dhadar area of Bolan Pass to rescue the hostages.
There was no confirmation of the total number of casualties, but officials said that at least 10 people — including the driver of the locomotive and eight security personnel — had lost their lives as the forces engaged in a gun battle.
It was not immediately clear whether these people had been freed as the result of kinetic military action, or were among those allegedly freed by the armed assailants.
The hijacking is a first of its kind event, as terrorists had never attempted to attack or take an entire train and its occupants hostage earlier.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, and claimed to have taken a large number of people hostage. The group also claimed that they had freed a number of people — including women and children — but these reports could not be independently verified.
An operation to recover the rest of the missing passengers and bring the attackers to justice continued in the area around the Mushkaf Tunnel.
Due to the sensitive nature of the action underway, Dawn.com will not report any critical operational details until the situation has been resolved.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed “grave concern” in a statement today, and demanded that all hostages be released immediately.
It said the terrorists “hijacked the train after blowing up the rail track and several hundred passengers taken hostage”.
“We strongly urge all relevant stakeholders to forge an urgent rights-based, pro-people consensus on the issues faced by citizens in Balochistan and to find a peaceful, political solution,” the HRCP added.
It asserted that the commission condemned “violence against unarmed civilians and noncombatants by the state as well as non-state actors”.
The incident was widely condemned by leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the chief ministers, among others.
President Zardari said the “Baloch nation rejects those who attack and take hostages innocent passengers” while PM Shehbaz asserted that the “beast terrorists” did not deserve any concession.
Operation being executed with ‘extra care’
According to Imran Hayat, the Railways Divisional Superintendent (DS) in Quetta, ten people — including the driver of the locomotive and eight security personnel — had lost their lives.
Security officials said that the rescue operation was being executed with extra care, due to the presence of hostages in the terrorists’ captivity.
Around 104 passengers who were recovered by security forces were shifted to the nearby Paneer railway station, including 58 men, 31 women and 15 children. A relief train had evacuated them to nearby Mach station, while efforts are underway for the safe recovery of the remaining passengers.
Railway officials said that around 750 passengers were booked to travel in the Jaffar Express, but the train left Quetta with around 450 people onboard.
Sources said that over 200 security personnel were also travelling on the same train.
According to the government’s statement, an emergency has been imposed at the Sibi hospital, while ambulances and security forces were on their way to the site of the incident.
“The scale of the incident and the possibility of terrorist elements are being determined. The Balochistan government has ordered that emergency measures be taken, and all institutions remain active,” Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told Geo News last night that many people had been taken off the train and were being used as human shields by the terrorists.
The state minister said security forces were treading carefully because of the lives involved, saying that the operation was still underway.
According to state media, security forces had killed 13 terrorists by late Tuesday night while the interior ministry confirmed that over 100 passengers had been rescued.
A subsequent update in the wee hours of Wednesday said 16 attackers had been killed while around 104 passengers had been rescued.
Attack near tunnel
The Mashkaf Tunnel is located around 157 kilometres from Quetta and approximately 21km from Sibi.
Although the Quetta-Jacobabad N65 highway and the railway line run mostly side-by-side through the Bolan region, they diverge near the town of Mashkaf.
From here, the railway line takes a more direct path, cutting through the mountains and running along the Bolan River, rejoining the main road near Mach.
The Mashkaf Tunnel is located in a very isolated part of the area, with the nearest station located at Pehro Kunri. The next stop on the line towards Quetta is the stop at Paneer, just short of the Paneer Tunnel.
“Armed men fired rockets at the locomotive and opened fire, which caused the train to stop. The driver of the locomotive was seriously injured,” officials said, adding that a heavy exchange of fire took place between security personnel and the attackers.
Reports suggest that the attackers martyred a number of security personnel and hijacked the train. They then started checking passengers’ identities and took some passengers hostage before they fled.
Sources said that a large group of armed attackers, carrying automatic weapons and rocket launchers, were sheltered in the mountains. They also damaged the railway line with explosives.
“According to security sources, terrorists split into small groups due to security forces’ operation. Injured passengers have been shifted to nearby hospital while additional security squads are taking part in the operation in the area,” reports aired on state media said.
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