Baloch rebels attack train, release video showing hostages and destruction

A militant group in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province has released a video showcasing their attack on a passenger train, which included bombing a railway track and taking hostages.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), responsible for a surge in violence in the region, claimed responsibility for the assault, which took place on Tuesday in a remote, mountainous area near the Afghan and Iranian borders.

The attack targeted the Jafar Express, which was carrying over 450 passengers when it was ambushed at the entrance of a tunnel. The rebels overpowered security forces, capturing an unknown number of hostages. Pakistan’s military has since launched a large-scale operation to rescue the passengers, with 190 individuals freed so far.

A newly released 1-minute-23-second video from the BLA shows armed militants watching over passengers huddled against a rocky backdrop. Survivors described harrowing escapes, with some walking for hours through rough terrain to reach safety.

“I can’t find the words to explain how we managed to escape. It was terrifying,” said Muhammad Bilal, a passenger who was traveling with his mother.

The Baloch Liberation Army has demanded a prisoner exchange with security forces, continuing its decades-long insurgency against the Pakistani state. The group claims that Balochistan’s natural resources are being exploited by outsiders, leading to increasing attacks on security personnel, infrastructure projects, and people from other ethnic backgrounds, particularly Punjabis and Sindhis.

Violence in the region has escalated significantly since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, with coordinated attacks becoming more frequent. Last year, BLA militants launched a series of assaults, including the takeover of a major highway, where they targeted and executed travelers from other ethnic groups.