Freed hostage recalls chilling details of Bolan train hijack

A freed hostage recounted the harrowing ordeal he and hundreds of passengers endured when their train, the Jaffar Express, was hijacked by terrorists near Bolan Pass on Tuesday.

The train, which was carrying over 400 passengers from Quetta to Peshawar on Tuesday, was overtaken by assailants who took civilians and military personnel hostage.

Speaking to the media, the freed hostage described how passengers, including women and children, screamed in panic and lay down inside the train during the attack.

He also shared that the attackers ordered the passengers to disembark the train.

Following their instructions, the man exited the train with his children. He revealed that after complying with the assailants' orders, his family was released, and he was told to leave the area "without looking back."

The man explained that his only concern was the safety of his family, and he couldn’t observe the chaos unfolding around him, as he was explicitly told not to look back.

He was unable to confirm how many passengers remained in the captivity of the terrorists.

Security forces rescued at least 155 hostages from the Jaffar Express after an operation against terrorists who hijacked the train in the rugged terrain of Balochistan. According to reports, 27 terrorists were killed, and several cops were martyred.

According to sources, the operation in the Dhadar area of Balochistan continued against the assailants.

Security officials told the media that terrorists were in contact with Afghanistan-based facilitators and had positioned suicide bombers among hostage passengers. They added that the suicide bombers were using innocent people as shields to prevent their imminent defeat.

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According to reports, assailants made women and children hostages at three destinations, where they placed terrorist bombers with them, preventing the forces from moving forward.

Notably, the train hijacking was a first incident in Pakistan, and the separatist organisation Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the incident.

The under-attack train, carrying 400 passengers in nine bogies, departed from Quetta to Peshawar at 9:00 am on Tuesday and was attacked at 1:00 pm near Mushkaf.

It was stated that the train was stopped by firing rocket launchers and bullets, leaving the engine driver injured.

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The exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists left a number of cops martyred, after which, the train was hijacked by terrorists. The reports stated that terrorists also identified the passengers before making them hostages.

A large group of armed attackers with automatic weapons and rocket launchers were positioned in the mountains.

They also damaged the railway line with explosives. Following the operation, terrorists were divided into small groups, but the operation was being conducted with caution due to the captives.

The casualties were not confirmed so far, but a divisional Superintendent, Imran Hayat, stated that at least 10 people, including eight security personnel and train staff, were killed in the incident.

Railway officials stated that at least 750 passengers were booked to travel on the Jafar Express, but the train departed from Quetta with 450 people on board. More than 200 security personnel were also traveling on the same train.