Pakistani troops freed over 300 people held hostage on a passenger train by armed fighters in Balochistan. The army said they killed 33 attackers during their rescue mission. The Baloch Liberation Army had already murdered 21 regular folks and four soldiers before the rescue began. Soldiers keep searching the area to make sure all threats are gone.
Many countries call the BLA terrorists, including Pakistan, the UK, and the US. These rebels want Balochistan, the biggest province in Pakistan, to break free or govern itself. They say the Pakistani government takes valuable minerals from their land without giving them back. They attacked trains before but never seized one until this incident.
About 100 people on board worked for security agencies, according to officials. Reports say the attackers wanted the government to free Baloch political prisoners within two days, or they would kill passengers. The fighters blew up part of the tracks and shot at the train near a mountain tunnel.
People on board described scary scenes as the attack happened. Ishaq Noor told reporters everyone froze during the shooting, afraid of what might happen next. Nobody could call for help because the remote area has zero phone signal or internet.
Some passengers escaped Tuesday night and walked almost four hours to reach the nearest train station. Muhammad Ashraf told reporters it was really hard because everyone felt tired, plus they traveled with women and kids. He had been going to visit family when everything went wrong.
The army sent helicopters and hundreds of soldiers to rescue the trapped people. By Wednesday morning, they had already saved more than 100 passengers. The entire crisis lasted more than 30 hours from start to finish. An army spokesperson promised they would catch everyone behind the attack.
Many countries call the BLA terrorists, including Pakistan, the UK, and the US. These rebels want Balochistan, the biggest province in Pakistan, to break free or govern itself. They say the Pakistani government takes valuable minerals from their land without giving them back. They attacked trains before but never seized one until this incident.
About 100 people on board worked for security agencies, according to officials. Reports say the attackers wanted the government to free Baloch political prisoners within two days, or they would kill passengers. The fighters blew up part of the tracks and shot at the train near a mountain tunnel.
People on board described scary scenes as the attack happened. Ishaq Noor told reporters everyone froze during the shooting, afraid of what might happen next. Nobody could call for help because the remote area has zero phone signal or internet.
Some passengers escaped Tuesday night and walked almost four hours to reach the nearest train station. Muhammad Ashraf told reporters it was really hard because everyone felt tired, plus they traveled with women and kids. He had been going to visit family when everything went wrong.
The army sent helicopters and hundreds of soldiers to rescue the trapped people. By Wednesday morning, they had already saved more than 100 passengers. The entire crisis lasted more than 30 hours from start to finish. An army spokesperson promised they would catch everyone behind the attack.
