Pakistani Separatists Attack Train With Over 400 People
One of the most brazen terror attacks and hostage standoffs the world has ever seen played out on Tuesday into Wednesday. The shocking incident in Pakistan's restive southwestern region involved a separatist Islamist group attacking and taking control of a large passenger train.
Some 450 passengers were travelling on the train from Quetta to Peshawar when it was attacked Tuesday by militants of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The group took a number of hostages after halting the train. Many bystanders are still missing.
Soon after the train had entered a tunnel, 'intense gunfire' was unleashed by the militants. There had actually ben over 100 passengers on the train who were members of Pakistani security forces, but it's unclear whether many of these personnel were armed at the time.
One eyewitness who was able to escape the mayhem, Muhammad Ashraf, described to BBC: 'There was a lot of fear among the passengers. It was a scene of doomsday.'
Pakistani special forces were among the first to respond to the scene, also amid helicopter cover overhead, and a shootout ensued. But it ended in tragedy. While at least 35 militants were killed, some 100 civilians were reportedly executed by the terrorists.
The hunt for the remaining attackers appears to still be ongoing, as many of the gunmen fled into the nearby mountains.
Baloch insurgents in Pakistan's Balochistan province have shared a video showing how they blew up a train track to derail a Peshawar-bound passenger train before taking the passengers hostage.#PakistanTrainHijack pic.twitter.com/LPy49xImdm — The Tatva (@thetatvaindia) March 12, 2025
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Also read: Pakistani Expat Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison for Commercial Cover-up
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