Military says death toll in Pakistan's train hijacking rises to 31
Pakistan officials confirmed Friday that 31 people, including 23 security personnel, lost their lives in Tuesday's train hijacking by armed militants in the country's restive Balochistan province.
In a news briefing, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said 18 off-duty military and paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel, three railway staff and five civilian passengers were among those killed in the initial attack.
Five Frontier Corps personnel were also killed in the attack and the ensuing battle with militants.
Separatist militants from Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a designated terror group, took over the Jaffar Express near Sibi hours after it left the provincial capital, Quetta, on Tuesday.
In the clearance operation that lasted more than 30 hours, the Pakistan military said it killed 33 BLA terrorists.
Chaudhry, director general of military public relations, said 354 passengers were freed, 37 of whom were injured.
Officials also revised the tally of passengers on the train downward to 425 from 440.
Speaking alongside Chaudhry, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said 425 tickets were sold for the cross-country train. However, passengers could board at any station along the roughly 1,600-kilometer route, which, Bugti said, largely explained the gap between the number of passengers and those rescued.
'Maybe some did not travel; some were boarding later, maybe some of those who ran [from the terrorists] lost their way, and maybe some got caught [by the terrorists],' the chief minister said.
Blaming neighbors
Tuesday's attack marked a dramatic escalation in the separatist insurgency that has seen a sharp increase in violence in recent months. In 2024, the BLA and other Baloch separatist groups killed nearly 400 people in over 500 attacks.
Pakistani officials blamed archrival India, accusing it of providing support to anti-Pakistan militants in Afghanistan, a charge New Delhi quickly rejected.
'We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan,' Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.
Bugti and Chaudhry reiterated the claim that Tuesday's attack was orchestrated by militants with bases in Afghanistan, a charge Afghan foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi rejected Thursday.
Intelligence failure?
Pakistani officials acknowledged there was a security threat, but rejected questions that the brazen hijacking in the heavily militarized province was an intelligence failure.
'There was a threat in the general area,' said Chaudhry, adding that it was not specifically about an attack on the train.
'There are thousands of intelligence success stories too behind [such incidents], which you don't know — incidents that did not happen because our intelligence was successfully able to detect them,' he said.
The military spokesperson said law enforcement agencies have conducted 11,654 intelligence-based operations across the country so far this year. Nearly 60,000 such operations were conducted nationwide last year, he said.
Resource-rich Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and least-populated province, where members of the ethnic Baloch minority say they face discrimination and exploitation by the government in Islamabad.
In the last 15 months, 1,250 terrorists from various groups have been killed in Pakistan, along with 563 security personnel, Chaudhry said.
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Voice of America
14-03-2025
- Voice of America
Military says death toll in Pakistan's train hijacking rises to 31
Pakistan officials confirmed Friday that 31 people, including 23 security personnel, lost their lives in Tuesday's train hijacking by armed militants in the country's restive Balochistan province. In a news briefing, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said 18 off-duty military and paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel, three railway staff and five civilian passengers were among those killed in the initial attack. Five Frontier Corps personnel were also killed in the attack and the ensuing battle with militants. Separatist militants from Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a designated terror group, took over the Jaffar Express near Sibi hours after it left the provincial capital, Quetta, on Tuesday. In the clearance operation that lasted more than 30 hours, the Pakistan military said it killed 33 BLA terrorists. Chaudhry, director general of military public relations, said 354 passengers were freed, 37 of whom were injured. Officials also revised the tally of passengers on the train downward to 425 from 440. Speaking alongside Chaudhry, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said 425 tickets were sold for the cross-country train. However, passengers could board at any station along the roughly 1,600-kilometer route, which, Bugti said, largely explained the gap between the number of passengers and those rescued. 'Maybe some did not travel; some were boarding later, maybe some of those who ran [from the terrorists] lost their way, and maybe some got caught [by the terrorists],' the chief minister said. Blaming neighbors Tuesday's attack marked a dramatic escalation in the separatist insurgency that has seen a sharp increase in violence in recent months. In 2024, the BLA and other Baloch separatist groups killed nearly 400 people in over 500 attacks. Pakistani officials blamed archrival India, accusing it of providing support to anti-Pakistan militants in Afghanistan, a charge New Delhi quickly rejected. 'We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan,' Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters. Bugti and Chaudhry reiterated the claim that Tuesday's attack was orchestrated by militants with bases in Afghanistan, a charge Afghan foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi rejected Thursday. Intelligence failure? Pakistani officials acknowledged there was a security threat, but rejected questions that the brazen hijacking in the heavily militarized province was an intelligence failure. 'There was a threat in the general area,' said Chaudhry, adding that it was not specifically about an attack on the train. 'There are thousands of intelligence success stories too behind [such incidents], which you don't know — incidents that did not happen because our intelligence was successfully able to detect them,' he said. The military spokesperson said law enforcement agencies have conducted 11,654 intelligence-based operations across the country so far this year. Nearly 60,000 such operations were conducted nationwide last year, he said. Resource-rich Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and least-populated province, where members of the ethnic Baloch minority say they face discrimination and exploitation by the government in Islamabad. In the last 15 months, 1,250 terrorists from various groups have been killed in Pakistan, along with 563 security personnel, Chaudhry said.
Voice of America
13-03-2025
- Voice of America
Afghanistan denies link to train attack in Pakistan
The Afghan Taliban have rejected Pakistan's allegation that Tuesday's deadly hostage-taking of a train was planned and directed from Afghan soil. Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Pakistan's assertions "baseless," in a statement Thursday. "We categorically reject baseless allegations by Pakistani army spokesperson linking attack on a passenger train in Balochistan province with Afghanistan," foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement posted on X. Militants linked with the banned Baloch Liberation Army attacked a passenger train Tuesday near Sibi, Balochistan, taking hundreds hostage. At least 21 passengers and four paramilitary troops died in the attack. The military claimed the killing of 33 terrorists. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the Pakistani military's media wing Inter Services Public Relations, had earlier said attackers collaborated with partners in Afghanistan. "During the operation, these terrorists were in contact with their supporters and masterminds in Afghanistan via satellite phone," Chaudhry told a private news channel as he declared the clearance operation over Wednesday night. Later, the military's media wing reiterated the assertion. "Intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed that the attack was orchestrated and directed by terrorist ringleaders operating from Afghanistan, who were in direct communication with terrorists throughout the incident," a statement from the ISPR said. Rebutting the claim, Balkhi said Islamabad must address internal issues. "[We] urge Pakistani side to focus on resolving their own security and internal problems instead of such irresponsible remarks," the Taliban foreign ministry spokesperson said. Tuesday's attack marked a dramatic escalation in the separatist insurgency that has ravaged Balochistan for nearly two decades. The militants blew up tracks, bringing the train with nearly 450 passengers to a halt in a tunnel, where they stormed it. Survivors told VOA the attackers singled out security personnel and ethnic Punjabi passengers, shooting many. "Pakistan expects the Interim Afghan Government to uphold its responsibilities and deny use of its soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan," the military said in written comments to the media Wednesday, repeating an increasingly frequent demand. On Thursday, the spokesperson for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan, repeated Islamabad's stance. "We urge Afghanistan to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers, of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan to bring all those who are concerned with this attack, including the real sponsors of terrorism, to justice," Khan told media at the weekly briefing. Balkhi rejected the allegation that Baloch separatists have put down roots across the border. "No members of Balouch opposition have presence in Afghanistan, nor have they ever had or have any links with the Islamic Emirate," Balkhi said in his post on X. The Taliban refer to their government as the Islamic Emirate. Pakistan has seen a sharp increase in terrorism in the last year, with deaths rising by nearly 45% in 2024 from the year before. The country now ranks second on the Global Terrorism Watchlist with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, an ideological offshoot of the Afghan Taliban, and the separatist Baloch Liberation Army emerging as the deadliest outfits. Speaking at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Afghanistan this week, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, said Kabul was failing to rein in Baloch separatists. "The Kabul authorities have failed to address the threat posed to the region and beyond by other terrorist groups, such as al Qaida, the TTP and Baloch terrorists, including the BLA and the Majeed Brigade, which are present in Afghanistan," the Pakistani envoy said Monday.
Voice of America
13-03-2025
- Voice of America
Jewish protesters flood Trump Tower lobby to demand Columbia University activist's release
Demonstrators from a Jewish group filled the lobby of Trump Tower on Thursday to denounce the immigration arrest of a Columbia University activist who helped lead student protests on the Manhattan campus against Israel's war in Gaza. The Jewish Voice for Peace protesters, who wore red shirts reading "Jews say stop arming Israel" and carried banners reading "Opposing fascism is a Jewish tradition" and "Fight Nazis not students," chanted "Bring Mahmoud home now!" Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident who is married to an American citizen and who hasn't been charged with breaking any laws, was arrested outside his New York City apartment on Saturday and faces deportation. President Donald Trump has said Khalil's arrest was the first "of many to come" and vowed on social media to deport students who he said engage in "pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity." Police, who were staged inside and outside the Fifth Avenue building ahead of the demonstration, began arresting protesters after warning them to leave. Among the protesters was actor Debra Winger, who has discussed her Jewish faith and upbringing over the years. Winger accused the Trump administration of having "no interest in Jewish safety" and "co-opting antisemitism." Khalil's supporters say his arrest is an attack on free speech and have staged protests elsewhere in the city and around the country. Hundreds demonstrated Wednesday outside a Manhattan courthouse during a brief hearing on his case. Trump Tower serves as headquarters for the Trump Organization and is where the president stays when he is in New York. The skyscraper often attracts demonstrations, both against and in support of its namesake, though protests inside are less common. The building's main entrance opens to a multi-story atrium that is open to the public and connects visitors to stores and eateries such as the Trump Grill. Khalil, 30, was being detained at an immigration detention center in Louisiana, where he has remained after a brief stop at a New Jersey lockup. Columbia was a focal point of the pro-Palestinian protest movement that swept across U.S. college campuses last year and led to more than 2,000 arrests. Khalil, whose wife is pregnant with their first child, finished his requirements for a Columbia master's degree in December. Born in Syria, he is a grandson of Palestinians who were forced to leave their homeland, his lawyers said in a legal filing.
