Pakistan army says 300 hostages freed from train happymamay

The Pakistan Army says it released more than 300 hostages from a passenger train seized by the militants in Balochistan Province on Tuesday.

A military spokesman said 33 fighters were killed during the operation.

The military spokesman said that twenty -one civil and four military personnel were killed by the Blash Liberation Army (BLA) before the operation began.

The army continues the search in the area to exclude any remaining threats.

The Pakistani authorities – as well as many Western countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States – assigned BLA as a terrorist organization.

BLA is one of the rebel groups that calls for either autonomy or independence in Balochistan, the largest province in Pakistan.

They accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province rich in mineral resources with their neglect as well. In the past, they attacked military camps, railway stations and trains – but this is the first time that they kidnapped a train.

The officials said that at least 100 people from the train were members of the security forces.

The gunmen threatened to kill the hostages if the authorities did not release political prisoners within 48 hours, according to local reports.

During the attack, the gunmen detonated a section of the tracks and opened fire on the train near a mountain tunnel.

Eyewitnesses described “scenes of the Day of Resurrection” on the train when the attack is revealed, With the passenger, Isaac Nour, he tells BBC: “We held our breath throughout the shooting, we don’t know what will happen next.”

Officials have had difficulty communicating with passengers at the time of the attack, because the remote area does not contain online coverage or mobile phone.

Helicopters and hundreds of forces have been deployed to save the hostages. More than 100 passengers were released on Wednesday morning.

The kidnapping lasted more than 30 hours.

An army spokesman said that anyone involved in the attack would be presented to justice.