As a rescue operation enters its second day following terrorists’ hijacking of the Jaffer Express train near Balochistan’s Bolan area, security forces have freed at least 190 passengers and killed 30 militants, according to official media on Wednesday.
The historic hostage crisis started Tuesday when terrorists ambushed the Jaffer Express near the Mashkaf Tunnel, around 157 kilometers from Quetta, taking over 400 passengers prisoner, including a large number of security officers.
What we currently know:
The BLA claims responsibility for the hijacking of a train that carried about 450 persons, including security personnel.
30 militants are killed when security forces conduct an operation;
190 people were saved, including 37 injured; 57 of the rescued people were taken to the provincial capital.
According to official media, terrorists in Afghanistan are in communication with their facilitators.
An emergency cell and help center are put up for travelers’ families.
According to security officials cited by state-run Radio Pakistan today, security authorities have rescued about 190 passengers from the attackers so far, including women and children.
According to the security sources, security personnel have already killed 30 terrorists, and the effort to kill the remaining attackers is still ongoing.
According to the report, 37 injured people were sent for medical care.
Radio Pakistan added, “The terrorists who carried out the cowardly attack on Jaffar Express are in contact with their facilitators in Afghanistan.”
Some innocent hostages have been placed in close proximity to suicide bombers by the terrorists. According to security sources cited in the newspaper, “the suicide bombers are wearing explosive vests.”
According to the article, “Terrorists are using innocent people as human shields in anticipation of possible defeat.”
It further stated that the operation was being carried out with “utmost caution” because of the presence of women and children, and that suicide bombers had “taken women and children hostage at three different locations.”
Security personnel claimed to have initiated a large operation in the Dhadar area of Bolan Pass to rescue the hostages, despite the area’s remoteness.
Officials reported that at least 10 persons, including the locomotive’s driver and eight security guards, had been killed in a gunfight between the forces, however the exact number of casualties was not confirmed.
It was not immediately apparent if these individuals were among those purportedly released by the armed attackers or if their release was the consequence of kinetic military action.
Since terrorists had never before tried to attack or capture a whole train and its passengers, the hijacking represents a first of its kind.
The incident was attributed to the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which also claimed to have captured many hostages. Additionally, the organization asserted that they had liberated a number of individuals, including women and children, however these claims were not independently confirmed.
The area surrounding the Mashkaf Tunnel was still the scene of an attempt to find the remaining missing passengers and apprehend the attackers.
Regeam.com will refrain from disclosing any crucial operational information until the matter has been settled due to the delicate nature of the action taking place.
Pakistan Railways temporarily halted all of its services from Punjab and Sindh to Balochistan and vice versa in the wake of the incident.
Pakistan Railways announced the opening of a “Help Desk” at Rawalpindi Railway Station so that families could get information about their loved ones who were traveling on the train during the ongoing operation.
The support desk can be reached at 051-9270831, 051-9270834, and 051-9270835. According to Pakistan Railways, the assistance desk is in continuous communication with the control rooms in Quetta and Peshawar.
For passenger information, a “Emergency Cell” has also been established at Quetta Railway Station. Its phone numbers are 081-9201210, 081-9201211, and 117.
Pakistan Railways reaffirmed that the train service to Quetta has been temporarily halted and would resume following security clearance.
Other Articles
No Comment! Be the first one.