The Pakistan Army has successfully concluded an operation to rescue passengers taken hostage after separatist militants hijacked the Jaffar Express in southwestern Pakistan. The military confirmed that all 33 militants involved in the attack were killed, but 21 hostages and four paramilitary soldiers also lost their lives.
Speaking on national television, Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry stated that the operation was executed with precision, ensuring the safe rescue of most passengers. “Today, we freed a large number of people, including women and children. The final operation was carried out with great care,” he said, adding that security forces cleared the train “bogey to bogey.”
The hijacking took place on Tuesday afternoon as the Jaffar Express, traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, passed through the Mashkaf Tunnel between Paneer and Peshi railway stations in Balochistan’s mountainous terrain. The attackers, identified as members of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), detonated explosives on the railway track before taking hostages.
Authorities confirmed that 440 people were aboard the train at the time, including at least 100 security personnel. While the BLA claimed it had taken military and police personnel hostage, the regional government stated that most victims were civilians.
The Mashkaf Tunnel, located about 157 km from Quetta, became the site of intense military action as security forces launched a counteroffensive to end the crisis. The operation marks one of the most significant counterterrorism actions in recent years in Pakistan’s insurgency-hit Balochistan province.
