Pakistani forces in standoff with militants aboard hijacked train as 190 passengers rescued

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 9:23 AM EDT | Last Updated: 36 minutes ago

Pakistani forces were successful a tense standoff connected Wednesday with hundreds of militants holding astir 250 radical hostage connected a bid they had hijacked successful the distant southwest the time before, officials said.

The information forces held disconnected from full-out battles arsenic militants wearing vests loaded with explosives had barricaded themselves wrong the bid with the hostages.

The separatist Baloch Liberation Army had claimed work for the onslaught connected Tuesday successful a passageway successful Bolan, a territory successful restive Balochistan province. Its spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the radical was acceptable to escaped passengers if authorities hold to merchandise jailed militants.

There has been nary remark from the government, which has rejected specified demands successful the past.

About 60 militants blew up the railway way and lobbed rockets astatine the Jaffar Express carrying more than 400 passengers, a information authoritative said. So far, 190 of the passengers person been rescued by precocious Wednesday, authorities officials said. They said astatine slightest 30 militants person been killed successful exchanges of gunfire since Tuesday.

Helicopters were backing up Pakistani forces successful the rugged region, said spokesperson Shahid Rind, describing the onslaught arsenic "an enactment of terrorism."

It was the archetypal clip the BLA separatists had hijacked a train, though the radical has attacked trains before. The BLA regularly targets Pakistani information forces and has successful the past besides attacked civilians, including Chinese nationals moving connected multibillion-dollar projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Estimates accidental the BLA has astir 3,000 fighters.

Pakistan hosts thousands of Chinese workers arsenic portion of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, which is gathering large infrastructure projects, including ports and airports successful Balochistan. China condemned the latest onslaught and overseas ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said her state "will proceed to firmly enactment Pakistan successful advancing its counterterrorism efforts."

Authorities said the rescued truthful acold see women and children. An undisclosed fig of information unit person been killed, according to the 3 information officials. They spoke connected information of anonymity, arsenic they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Explosion successful passageway forced bid to stop

Officials accidental the Jafer Express bid was partially wrong a passageway erstwhile the militants blew up the tracks, forcing the motor and 9 coaches to stop. The operator was wounded and guards aboard the bid were attacked, though the officials gave nary details connected however galore determination were oregon astir their fate.

Rescued passengers were being sent to their hometowns and the injured were being treated astatine hospitals successful the Mach district. Others were taken to Quetta, the provincial capital, astir 100 kilometres away. The bid was travelling from Quetta to the bluish metropolis of Peshawar erstwhile it came nether attack.

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has agelong been the country of insurgency, with separatists demanding greater autonomy from the authorities successful Islamabad and a larger stock of the region's earthy resources. Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and least-populated province. It's a hub for the country's taste Baloch minority, whose members accidental they look favoritism and exploitation by the cardinal government.

Insurgencies connected either broadside of the Iran-Pakistan borderline person frustrated some countries. Their governments fishy each different of supporting — oregon astatine slightest tolerating — immoderate of the groups operating connected the different broadside of the border.

In Iran, the militant radical Jaish al-Adl has carried retired galore attacks successful caller years. Tehran has sought assistance from Pakistan successful countering the menace from it, and Pakistan besides wants Tehran to contradict sanctuary to BLA fighters.

In January 2024, Islamabad and Tehran engaged successful tit-for-tat airstrikes targeting insurgents wrong each other's borderline areas, sidesplitting astatine slightest 11 people, but rapidly deescalated the concern done talks.

Demand for negotiations

The BLA said the hostages and immoderate captured members of the information forces were being guarded by termination bombers Wednesday. The BLA has warned that the beingness of hostages would beryllium astatine hazard if the authorities does not negotiate.

Trains successful Balochistan typically person information unit connected board, arsenic members of the subject often usage trains to question from Quetta to different parts of the country. In November, The BLA carried retired a termination bombing astatine a bid presumption successful Quetta, sidesplitting 26 people.

Analysts said the bid onslaught and its absorption connected civilians could backfire.

"After failing to harm the Pakistan Army wrong Balochistan, BLA has shifted its targets from subject to unarmed civilians. This whitethorn springiness them instant nationalist and media attention, but it volition weaken their enactment basal wrong the civilian population, which is their eventual objective," said Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based autarkic information analyst.