11.03.2025 14:10
In Pakistan's Balochistan province, separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants targeted a train. The militants injured the train's driver and took 450 passengers hostage, including security personnel. While the militants stated that women and children were released, they claimed that all the hostages were Pakistani soldiers and members of other security organizations.
Separatist militants in Pakistan's Balochistan province attacked a passenger train carrying more than 450 people. The militants claimed to have taken control after derailing the train, stating that 6 military personnel were killed and 450 passengers, including security personnel, were taken hostage.
ATTACKED ON THE WAY TO PESHAWAR
Railway officials speaking to Reuters stated that the train was attacked while traveling from the city of Ketta in Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan to the city of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
ALL HOSTAGES ARE SOLDIERS
The militant separatist group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which aims to gain autonomy for the region, claimed that the hostages are Pakistani soldiers and members of other security organizations.
The statement said, "Among the hostages are active personnel from the Pakistan Army, police, Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF), and Intelligence Agency (ISI). They were all on leave heading to Punjab."
WOMEN AND CHILDREN RELEASED
The militants claimed that they released women, children, and Baloch passengers, asserting that all remaining hostages are personnel on duty from Pakistani forces. Officials have not yet made a statement regarding casualties and the status of the hostages.
ALL INSTITUTIONS HAVE MOBILIZED
Government spokesman Shahid Rind announced that all institutions have mobilized following the attack on the train, and it has been learned that security forces have been dispatched to the region.
THE TIMING IS SIGNIFICANT
The attack occurred just days after various Baloch resistance groups advocating for Balochistan's independence from Pakistan announced that they would launch a new and intensified attack against Pakistan and China and declared the establishment of a united organization they named the Baloch National Army.
5 PEOPLE DIED IN THE LAST ATTACK
Balochistan, which has been struggling with uprisings for years, has recently witnessed several terrorist attacks. In the latest incident on March 5, an explosion in the Khuzdar region resulted in the deaths of 5 people.