ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s military said Wednesday it had ended a standoff with separatist militants who hijacked a passenger train in southwestern Balochistan, killing dozens of hostages and insurgents.
Military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said 21 hostages and all 33 militants were killed in the operation.
On Tuesday, separatist fighters from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) blew up a railway track and fired rockets at the Jaffar Express, which was carrying more than 400 passengers. The BLA later claimed it had killed 50 hostages.
The group had issued a 48-hour ultimatum, threatening to execute captives unless authorities released Baloch political prisoners, activists, and missing persons it alleges were abducted by the military.
The rescue operation was further complicated by the presence of suicide bombers among the militants, security sources said.
Pakistan’s military has not provided details on how the standoff was resolved, but the attack underscores the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan, where separatist groups have waged a decades-long campaign against the state.
