More than 100 hostages were rescued by Pakistani troops on Tuesday after armed militants attacked a passenger train carrying over 450 people in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province. Three people, including a train driver, a police officer, and a soldier, were killed in the assault, while the fate of several passengers remains unknown.
The attack unfolded when insurgents blew up a railway track, forcing the train to a halt in a remote mountainous area. Witnesses described panic as militants boarded the train, separating men from women. “People began hiding under seats in fear. They allowed me and my family to go because I told them I’m a heart patient,” said 49-year-old Allahditta from a makeshift hospital in Mach.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that security forces had rescued over 100 hostages and killed 16 militants in an ongoing clearance operation marked by intense gunfire. The assault was swiftly claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group responsible for escalating violence in the province.
Some passengers managed to escape and walked for hours to reach the nearest railway station, while others remain unaccounted for as security forces continue their operation.
Balochistan has been the epicenter of a long-running insurgency, with militant groups accusing the government of exploiting the region’s natural resources while neglecting local communities. In recent months, the BLA has escalated attacks, including the targeted killings of travelers and deadly bombings, such as the November 2023 blast at Quetta’s main railway station that killed 26 people.
Pakistan has blamed neighboring Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government for providing sanctuary to militants, a charge Kabul denies.
Security experts warn that the attack underscores the growing instability in the region, with Pakistan witnessing its deadliest year in nearly a decade. According to the Center for Research and Security Studies, over 1,600 people were killed in militant attacks in 2023, with violence particularly concentrated in the western border regions.
As security forces continue operations to locate remaining hostages and neutralize threats, authorities brace for potential retaliatory attacks amid the province’s worsening security crisis.
