Pakistani Forces Free Hostages in Train Raid, Militants Killed

13th March 2025 at 8:57 AM

2 minutes read

A soldier works to evacuate freed train passengers at the Mach railway station, which has been turned into a makeshift hospital, after Pakistani security forces freed nearly 80 passengers following a security operation against armed militants who ambushed the train in the remote mountainous area, in Mach, southwestern Balochistan province on March 11, 2025. Pakistani troops freed dozens of train passengers taken hostage by armed militants of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group behind rising violence in the province which borders Afghanistan and Iran, after gunmen forced a train to a halt in a remote, mountainous area of Balochistan province in the afternoon of on March 11, 2025. — (Photo by Banaras KHAN / AFP)

Balochistan – A tense situation on a hijacked train in Pakistan ended violently on Wednesday as Pakistani security forces stormed aboard, killing all 33 militants who had seized the train. Hundreds of passengers were rescued in the operation.

The hijacking of the Jaffar Express train started the day before when Baloch militants attacked it in Balochistan. The militants, demanding the release of prisoners, used explosives and threatened the safety of those on board.

As Pakistani special forces moved in to take back the train, they found that some of the militants were wearing suicide vests and were among the frightened passengers. In a final, planned attack, the commandos successfully killed all the attackers. Sadly, despite the rescue, 21 passengers and four members of the security forces died in the ordeal.

A military spokesperson, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, told Reuters news agency, “Today we freed many people, including women and children. The final action was done very carefully.” He also made it clear that no civilians were killed in the final stage of the operation.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has said they were behind the attack. They had earlier set off bombs on the railway tracks and fired rockets at the Jaffar Express on Tuesday.

The train, carrying 440 people, was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar when it was attacked. Before the army announced the end of the siege, the BLA claimed they had already killed 50 passengers on Wednesday evening. On Tuesday, they said they were holding 214 people hostage, mostly security personnel.

The BLA had warned they would start killing hostages if their demands to free Baloch political prisoners and activists were not met within 48 hours. They also claimed some of those they wanted released had been taken by the military.

The BLA is the biggest of several armed groups in Balochistan, a region that borders Afghanistan and Iran. These groups are fighting against the Pakistani government.

Recently, these militants have been attacking more often and using new methods to cause more deaths and target the Pakistani military.

Baloch militant groups say they are fighting for more control over the mineral wealth of their region. They believe the central government unfairly controls these resources.

Special Forces End Train Siege

According to junior interior minister Talal Chaudhry, the militants made the rescue harder by wearing suicide vests amongst the hostages. He estimated that there were between 70 and 80 attackers who hijacked the train.

The military sent hundreds of soldiers, along with air force and special forces, to deal with the situation, Chaudhry added.

He explained that in the final part of the operation, special forces first took out the suicide bombers before soldiers went through each train car to stop the remaining militants.

Passengers who were on the train described the chaotic scenes as the attack happened. Muhammad Ashraf, 75, a passenger, said he heard a very loud explosion in the mountains, which made all the train cars shake.