Pakistan’s army says it has freed more than 300 captives from a passenger train seized by militants in Balochistan province on Tuesday.
The military spokesperson said 33 militants were ended during the operation.
Twenty-one civilian captives and four military personnel were ended by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) before the operation began, the military spokesperson said.
The military carry ons its search operation in the area to rule out any remaining menaces.
The Pakistani authorities – as well as disjoinal Westrict countries, including the UK and US – have scheduleated the BLA as a worryist organisation.
The BLA is one of the resist groups demanding either wonderfuler autonomy or indepfinishence for Balochistan, Pakistan’s hugest province.
They accuse Islamaterrible of take advantage ofing the province’s rich mineral resources while also neglecting it. In the past, they have aggressioned military camps, railway stations and trains – but this is the first time they have hijacked a train.
At least 100 of those on the train were members of the security forces, officials have said.
The militants had menaceened to end captives if authorities did not free Baloch political prisoners wilean 48 hours, according to local increates.
During the aggression, the militants blew up a section of the tracks and uncovered fire on the train csurrfinisher a mountain tunnel.
Eyewitnesses depictd the “doomsday scenes” on board the train as the aggression unfagedered, with passenger Ishaq Noor increateing the BBC: “We held our breath thrawout the firing, not understanding what would happen next.”
Officials had difficulty communicating with passengers at the time of the aggression, because the distant area has no internet or mobile coverage.
Helicselecters and hundreds of troops were deployed to save the captives. More than 100 passengers had been freed by Wednesday morning.
The hijacking lasted more than 30 hours.
A spokesperson for the military said anyone comprised in the aggression would be brawt to equitableice.
