Quetta, Pakistan – Officials said Pakistani security forces on Wednesday exchanged bullets with hundreds of separatist militants as they demanded to free about 300 hostages in a train in the rugged south -west of the country.
The security forces were being alerted as the officials said the hostages were surrounded by terrorists wearing a vest filled with explosives. Government spokesperson Shahid Rind said that the Pakistani, who was supported by helicopters in the remote field, was cautious due to the situation. He described the attack “A task of terrorism.”
At least 27 terrorists have been killed and security forces have rescued more than 150 people out of 450 people who were on the train on Tuesday, as it was entered into a tunnel in Bollan in a district of Balochistan province. This was the first time that terrorists have ever attacked such an attack.
The Baloch Liberation Army Group claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was open to interact to swap the prisoners. So far, no response or any indication has been given from the government to the proposal from the rebels.
The BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces, but the past also attacked citizens, including Chinese citizens working on Multivio-Doller projects related to China-Pakistan Economic Corridors or CPECs.
Pakistan hosted thousands of Chinese workers as part of Beijing’s multibibilian-dollar belt and road initiative, creating major infrastructure projects.
Officials said that the rescued women and children were included, while according to three security officials, an unknown number of security personnel had been killed, as per three security officials, as per three security officials, as they were not authorized to talk to the media.
According to officials, the train was partially inside the tunnel when the terrorists blown the tracks and stabilized the engine and its nine coaches. The driver riding in the train was seriously injured and the train was attacked, although the authorities did not give any information about the number of guards who were riding or if they were killed.
The rescued passengers were being sent to their home towns and were injured in hospitals in Mach district of Balochistan. Others were taken to Quetta, about 100 kilometers (62 mi).
When the attack took place, the train that was traveling from the northern city of Peshawar from the provincial capital Quetta.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been a hotspot for the separatist rebels, seeking more autonomy and a large part of the region’s natural resources.
The BLA, who tampered with one year of fierceness, said the hostages and some occupied members were being protected by suicide bages. The BLA has warned that if the government does not talk, the life of the hostages will be at risk.
BLA spokesperson Jiyand Baloch said in a statement on Tuesday night that the group was ready to free the passengers if the government agrees to release the jailed terrorists of the group. Since then, no government officials are available for comment. Such demands have been rejected in the past.
Trains in Balochistan usually have security personnel on board as military members often use trains to travel from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan in other parts of the country.
Terrorists have attacked vehicles in the past, but never managed to kidnap.
In November, a separatist group exploded a suicide bomb at a train station in Quetta, killing 26 people. Pakistani authorities and analysts estimate that BLA has around 3,000 fighters.
Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is the largest and minimal population province in Pakistan. It is a center for the ethnic Baloch minority of the country, whose members say they have to face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.
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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press Writer; Rasool Davar in Peshawar, Pakistan; Dera Ismail Khan, Ishtiaq Mahsud in Pakistan; And Asim Tanveer contributed to this report in Multan, Pakistan.
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