New Delhi:
Some hostages leaned unmovingly on the floor for 27 hours, but others only breathed in shock as armed rebels entered the train and began to execute passengers. The released hostages of the Yafa Express, hijacked by members of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), explained the horrific trials of the attack and what they had experienced before being rescued by Pakistani security forces.
On Tuesday, the Jafar Express, travelling from Quetta to Peshawar with 440 passengers, was ambushed by armed rebels. The 30-hour siege ended in a fatal conflict that killed 21 civilians and four security personnel, with all 33 militants killed in the final military operation.
After the attack, train driver Amjad said the militants had derailed the bogies by derailing the explosives under the train's engine.
“As soon as the train stopped, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists launched the attack,” he said. “Terrorists violated the train by destroying windows, but they mistakenly believed we were dead.”
For hundreds trapped inside, the ordeal was unforgiving. Survivors also said the attackers separated passengers based on where they were from.
A rescued passenger, Arslan Yousaf, spoke about the systematic violence of extremists. “Sometimes they took soldiers…and executed them,” he was quoted by media outlet Reuters as saying he had mentioned security forces who were traveling with passengers in the Pakistani Army while on vacation.
“Otherwise, they targeted a particular individual. If someone had grates, they shot him on the spot,” he added.
Released hostage Mehbu Ahmed, 31, explained how the prisoner tried to escape after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.
“We made two attempts. We had some successes, but many were shot dead as an armed man opened the fire,” he said. “We have almost lost hope for survival.”
Another released hostage, Muhammad Tambaa, said they were only given water to survive.
A resource-rich but rebellious state, Balochistan hosts major Chinese-led infrastructure projects, such as the Port of Gwadar and gold and copper mines.
Baroque rebels have long targeted security forces, facilities and foreign projects, which is the first recorded hijacking of passenger trains.
The attack on the Jafar Express began Tuesday morning. The Bule rebels exploded parts of the railway tracks and stopped the train in Balochistan's sturdy Boran region. The militants, armed with rocket launchers, automatic weapons and hand-rena bullets, were forced into the train. On the remote mountain pass, they held passengers hostage and engaged in a long shootout with Pakistani security forces.
By Wednesday, the Pakistani forces had begun a full-scale operation to seize the train. Pakistani forces confirmed that 21 civilians had been killed during the siege.
“The security forces cleaned the bogies with bogies,” a statement from the Pakistani military read. The Army, Air Force and Frontier Corps (FC) coordinated the counterattack by leading Pakistan's Elite Special Services Group (SSG) command and attack.
After a few hours of intense battle, all 33 militants were killed and more than 300 passengers were successfully rescued.
Pakistani forces declared a complete victory, but the BLA challenged the official accounts, claiming that they were still hostages and that the fight was ongoing.
Jeeyand Baloch, a spokesman for the group, allegedly those who Pakistan claimed were rescued had actually been released by the extremists themselves.
“Now, the state will also be responsible for their deaths, as they abandon hostages and die,” he said in a statement Thursday.
The attack prompted Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif to travel to Ketta on Thursday for a security briefing.
