Pakistani train hijacking leaves 33 insurgents dead
Pakistani authorities confirmed the resolution of a train hijacking on Wednesday, with all insurgents killed following a daylong standoff.
According to an army general, militants who seized control of a train in Balochistan killed 21 passengers and four paramilitary soldiers while holding hostages, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif told Dunya News TV that security forces killed all 33 militants present at the scene.
"The armed forces successfully concluded the operation in the (Wednesday) evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers safely,” Lt Gen Sharif said.
He said that 21 passengers were killed by the terrorists when they attacked the train on Tuesday. He added that four paramilitary Frontier Corps soldiers were also killed in the incident.
Baloch insurgents in Pakistan's Balochistan province have shared a video showing how they blew up a train track to derail a Peshawar-bound passenger train before taking the passengers hostage.
On Tuesday, militants from the Baloch Liberation Army hijacked a Pakistan railways operated Jaffar Express as it travelled from Quetta to Peshawar. Across the nine bogies, around 450 passengers are assumed to have been on board the train.
Officials have stated that the rescue operation has been "increasingly difficult" as the BLA militants are using women and children as human shields.
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