Latest news with #Allahditta
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
At least 100 passengers freed from Pakistan train siege
Armed militants in Pakistan's Balochistan region have attacked a train carrying more than 400 passengers and taken a number of them hostage, military sources told the BBC on Tuesday. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) fired at the Jaffar Express Train as it travelled from Quetta to Peshawar. The separatist group said it had bombed the track before storming the train in the remote Sibi district, claiming the train was under its control. At least 16 militants have been killed and 100 passengers were freed as of Wednesday morning, local media reported. The BBC has not been able to independently verify those figures. Among those released are 17 injured passengers, who have been admitted to hospital for treatment. The militants had threatened to kill hostages if authorities did not release Baloch political prisoners within 48 hours, according to local reports. The rescue operation is ongoing. There were reports of "intense firing" at the train, a Balochistan government spokesman told local newspaper Dawn on Tuesday. A senior police official said it "remains stuck just before a tunnel surrounded by mountains", AFP news agency reports. A senior army official confirmed to the BBC that there were more than 100 army personnel travelling from Quetta on the train. The Pakistani authorities - as well as several Western countries, including the UK and US - have designated the BLA as a terrorist organisation. It has waged a decades-long insurgency to gain independence and has launched numerous deadly attacks, often targeting police stations, railway lines and highways. On Tuesday, the group warned of "severe consequences" if an attempt was made to rescue those it is holding. "I can't find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying," Muhammad Bilal, one of the freed hostages, told AFP news agency. Allahditta, another passenger, said he was allowed to go because of his heart condition. The 49-year-old recalled how people "began hiding under the seats in panic" when the attackers stormed the train. A local railway official in Quetta earlier told the BBC that a group of 86 passengers - including women and children - had managed to disembark the train and walk to the nearest railway station, Panir. The official said the group was made up of locals from the province of Balochistan. One man, whose brother-in-law was still being held on the train, described an agonising wait. He said he had tried to drive to the area, but many of the roads were closed. Meanwhile, anxious families of passengers were trying to get information about their loved ones from the counter at Quetta railway station. The son of one passenger, Muhammad Ashraf, who left Quetta for Lahore on Tuesday morning, told BBC Urdu he had not been able to contact his father. Another relative said he was "frantic with worry" about his cousin and her small child, who were travelling from Quetta to Multan to pick up a family member. "No one is telling me what's happening or if they're safe," Imran Khan told Reuters news agency. Officials say they are yet to communicate with anyone on the train. The area has no internet and mobile network coverage, officials told the BBC. Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province and the richest in terms of natural resources, but it is the least developed. Additional reporting by Usman Zahid and BBC Urdu
Khaleej Times
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Pakistan's train hostage survivors say blasts were 'terrifying'
Hostages freed from a train siege in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday said they walked for hours through mountainous terrain to reach safety, forced to leave behind relatives from whom they were separated. Militants waging a war of independence against the Pakistani state set off explosions on the railway track in a remote area of Balochistan, forcing the train to a halt and taking more than 450 passengers hostage. "I can't find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying," Muhammad Bilal told AFP. Bilal had been traveling with his mother on the Jafar Express train when it was caught in the explosive crossfire, leaving at least three dead, according to a railway official. More than 100 hostages have been freed from the train, which remains held up by rebel forces. "I heard an explosion followed by gunfire as militants boarded the train," passenger Allahditta told AFP at the train station in Mach, where the waiting area has been transformed into a makeshift hospital to treat the wounded. "People began hiding under the seats in panic. The militants separated the men from the women. They allowed me and my family to go because I told them I'm a heart patient," the 49-year-old said. ID checks "We walked for a long time through the mountains to reach the nearest station. I haven't eaten since I began fasting this morning, but I still can't bring myself to eat," Allahditta added, in reference to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. One passenger described gunmen sorting through identity cards to confirm who was from outside of the province, similar to a spate of recent attacks carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army, which has claimed credit for the seige. "They came and checked IDs and service cards and shot two soldiers in front of me and took the other four to, I don't know where," said one passenger who asked not to be named, after walking four hours to the nearest train station. "They checked IDs and those who were Punjabis were taken away by the terrorists," he added. The BLA claim the region's natural resources are being exploited by outsiders and has increased attacks targeting Pakistanis from other regions. Late on Tuesday, survivors walked through rugged terrain to the nearest train station and travelled to Mach, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the Iran border. The first trains carrying survivors arrived late on Tuesday evening to be met by paramilitary forces and doctors. "I am treating two (police) officers, one was shot five times, while the other was wounded in his knee," said paramedic Qazim Farooq.
Saudi Gazette
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
More than 100 passengers rescued from Pakistan train attack
ISLAMABAD — Armed militants in Pakistan's Balochistan region have attacked a train carrying more than 400 passengers and taken a number of them hostage, military sources told the BBC on Tuesday. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) fired at the Jaffar Express Train as it traveled from Quetta to Peshawar. The separatist group said it had bombed the track before storming the train in the remote Sibi district, claiming the train was under its control. At least 16 militants have been killed and 104 passengers rescued as of Wednesday morning, local media reported. Among those rescued are 17 injured passengers, who have been hospitalized for treatment. The militants had threatened to kill hostages if authorities did not release Baloch political prisoners within 48 hours, according to local reports. The rescue operation is ongoing. There were reports of "intense firing" at the train, a Balochistan government spokesman told local newspaper Dawn on Tuesday. A senior police official said it "remains stuck just before a tunnel surrounded by mountains", AFP news agency reports. A senior army official confirmed to the BBC that there were more than 100 army personnel traveling from Quetta on the train. The Pakistani authorities - as well as several Western countries, including the UK and US - have designated the BLA as a terrorist organization. It has waged a decades-long insurgency to gain independence and has launched numerous deadly attacks, often targeting police stations, railway lines and highways. On Tuesday, the group warned of "severe consequences" if an attempt was made to rescue those it is holding. Map shows location of attack in Pakistan on map with neighboring Afghanistan and India "I can't find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying," Muhammad Bilal, one of the freed hostages, told AFP news agency. Allahditta, another passenger, said he was allowed to go because of his heart condition. The 49-year-old recalled how people "began hiding under the seats in panic" when the attackers stormed the train. A local railway official in Quetta earlier told the BBC that a group of 80 passengers - 11 children, 26 women and 43 men - had managed to disembark the train and walk to the nearest railway station, Panir. The official said the group was made up of locals from the province of Balochistan. One man, whose brother-in-law was still being held on the train, described an agonising wait. He said he had tried to drive to the area, but many of the roads were closed. Meanwhile, anxious families of passengers were trying to get information about their loved ones from the counter at Quetta railway station. The son of one passenger, Muhammad Ashraf, who left Quetta for Lahore on Tuesday morning, told BBC Urdu he had not been able to contact his father. Another relative said he was "frantic with worry" about his cousin and her small child, who were traveling from Quetta to Multan to pick up a family member. "No one is telling me what's happening or if they're safe," Imran Khan told Reuters news agency. Officials say they are yet to communicate with anyone on the train. The area has no internet and mobile network coverage, officials told the BBC. Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province and the richest in terms of natural resources, but it is the least developed. — BBC
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Train hostage survivors in Pakistan recount 'panic' amid blasts
Hostages freed from a train siege in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday said they walked for hours through mountainous terrain to reach safety, forced to leave behind relatives from whom they were separated. Militants waging a war of independence against the Pakistani state set off explosions on the railway track in a remote area of Balochistan, forcing the train to a halt and taking more than 450 passengers hostage. "I can't find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying," Muhammad Bilal told AFP. Bilal had been traveling with his mother on the Jafar Express train when it was caught in the explosive crossfire, leaving at least three dead, according to a railway official. More than 100 hostages have been freed from the train, which remains held up by rebel forces. "I heard an explosion followed by gunfire as militants boarded the train," passenger Allahditta told AFP at the train station in Mach, where the waiting area has been transformed into a makeshift hospital to treat the wounded. "People began hiding under the seats in panic. The militants separated the men from the women. They allowed me and my family to go because I told them I'm a heart patient," the 49-year-old said. - ID checks - "We walked for a long time through the mountains to reach the nearest station. I haven't eaten since I began fasting this morning, but I still can't bring myself to eat," Allahditta added, in reference to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. One passenger described gunmen sorting through identity cards to confirm who was from outside of the province, similar to a spate of recent attacks carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army, which has claimed credit for the seige. "They came and checked IDs and service cards and shot two soldiers in front of me and took the other four to, I don't know where," said one passenger who asked not to be named, after walking four hours to the nearest train station. "They checked IDs and those who were Punjabis were taken away by the terrorists," he added. The BLA claim the region's natural resources are being exploited by outsiders and has increased attacks targeting Pakistanis from other regions. Late on Tuesday, survivors walked through rugged terrain to the nearest train station and travelled to Mach, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the Iran border. The first trains carrying survivors arrived late on Tuesday evening to be met by paramilitary forces and doctors. "I am treating two (police) officers, one was shot five times, while the other was wounded in his knee," said paramedic Qazim Farooq. mak-stm/sbh/ecl/jgc
