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Pakistan Train Hijacking Ends With Deadly Siege in Balochistan

Security forces rescue 346 hostages and kill 33 Baloch separatists, but 27 civilians and personnel lose their lives in the unprecedented attack.

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Pakistani soldiers secure Mach railway station after Pakistani security forces freed some of the passengers from an ambushed train held hostage by armed rebels in the southwestern province of Balochistan
Passengers, who were rescued from a train after it was attacked by separatist militants, sit at the Mach Railway Station in Mach, Balochistan, Pakistan, March 11, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
An injured passenger rescued by security forces from a passenger train attacked by insurgents arrive at a railway station in Much near Quetta, Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Overview

  • The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express near Sibi, targeting nearly 400 passengers with rockets and gunfire.
  • The attackers separated passengers by ethnicity, executing ethnic Punjabis and suspected military personnel, while sparing women, children, and Baloch passengers.
  • Pakistan's military operation successfully killed all 33 attackers and rescued 346 hostages, but 27 civilians, including the train driver, and one paramilitary soldier were killed.
  • The BLA demanded the release of Baloch political prisoners and others, continuing its long-standing fight for Balochistan's independence from Pakistan.
  • This is the first known train hijacking by the BLA, marking an escalation in its insurgency, which has included attacks on security forces and Chinese interests in the region.