BLA militants release detailed video on Pakistan train hijack to rebut claims by military
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants released a full video to give a detailed account of their hijack of Jaffar Express in March this year to rebut claims by the Pakistani military that the group launched an indiscriminate attack on women and children.
According to official estimates, 31 soldiers and civilians were killed in the attack as the Pakistan army launched a 'full scale' operation to rescue over 300 hostages held hostage by BLA gunmen who blew up the railway track to hijack the Peshawar-bound train with over 400 passengers.
Also read | Video shows how Baloch militants attacked, hijacked Jaffar Express train in Pakistan
The insurgent group, fighting the Pakistani State to gain independence for Balochistan, had demanded the government to release its jailed members as a key demand to release the hostages.
The recent video is the first comprehensive account of how the attack, named 'Operation Darr-e-Bolan', was planned and executed by the group. It begins with visuals of alleged repression of ethnic Balochis being repressed by Pakistan's security forces and families grieving the loss of their members.
HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
A BLA fighter then explains the motivation for the attack. 'Our struggle and war has come to a point where we are to take such critical decisions. Our young people are equipped to take such steps, for they are aware that except such decisions there are no other options left. A gun is needed to halt the gun. The sound that comes out of a gunshot may reach a point,' the man said.
'Baloch young men have taken the decision today to attack the enemy without any hesitation and care about their lives. Today if a son is leaving his father behind to sacrifice his life, so is a father leaving his son behind to sacrifice himself for the cause,' he added.
The video shows armed men receiving 'fidayeen training', final combat briefing and how they executed the attack by 'adhering to the standards of international warfare.' The group claimed that it held only Pakistani military personnel as hostages and released civilians, including women and children.
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