Pakistani authorities confirmed the end of a train hijacking on Wednesday, with all in🔴surgents killed after a daylong standoff. Twenty-one passengers and four param🎀ilitary soldiers were killed by militants holding hostages after seizing control of a train in Balochistan, an army general said on Wednesday.
Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif told Dunya News TV that security forces kiꦇlled all 33 militants present at the scene.
"T🧔he 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 t🃏errorists 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 Baꦦloch Liberation Army hijacked a Pakistan rail😼ways 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 chi𝐆ldren as human shields.
Rescued Passengers Recall Hijack Horror
Speaking to AFP, one of the rescued passengers recalled the incid🧸ent and thanked the forces for safely evacuating him from the train.
"There was gunfire, but by the grace of Allah,🌄 the army and FC personnel brought us to safety," said one 🤡of the rescued passengers.
"I can't find the words to de🎀scribe how we managed to es🍬cape. It was terrifying," another passenger on board told AFP.
Speaking to BBC Urdu, Mushtaq, who was in coach number three of the train, said, “The attack started with a ‘huge explosion.' After that, the firi♊ng started. The firing continued for꧑ an hour. It was a scene that can never be forgotten."
