2025 Jaffar Express hijacking: Difference between revisions

2025 Jaffar Express hijacking (edit)

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 The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is an [[Ethnic nationalism| ethnonationalist]] group established in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Balochistan Liberation Army |url=https://mappingmilitants.org/profiles/balochistan-liberation-army |website=Mapping Militants |access-date=11 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207120159/https://mappingmilitants.org/profiles/balochistan-liberation-army |archive-date=7 December 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> Members of this organisation claim their goal is to attain regional independence from Pakistan and gain control over the area's natural resources, particularly oil and minerals. The BLA has previously targeted civilians and, more frequently, Pakistani security forces.<ref name="insurgents">{{cite web|last1=Sattar|first1=Abdul|last2=Ahmed|first2=Munir |date=12 March 2025|title=Pakistan's army says insurgents who attacked a passenger train killed 21 hostages while others freed|work=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-balochistan-train-attack-militants-hostages-53d0eb29fecaa323800ac2db42ddb46c |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312165207/https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-balochistan-train-attack-militants-hostages-53d0eb29fecaa323800ac2db42ddb46c |archive-date=12 March 2025|access-date=12 March 2025}}</ref> It has been officially banned in Pakistan since 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=List of banned organisations in Pakistan |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/456294/list-of-banned-organisations-in-pakistan |website=The Express Tribune |access-date=11 March 2025 |date=24 October 2012 |archive-date=5 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405002521/https://tribune.com.pk/story/456294/list-of-banned-organisations-in-pakistan/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Following its ban, the group has perpetrated numerous attacks resulting in significant casualties; the most recent incident before the 2025 train hijacking was a suicide bombing at Quetta railway station in November 2024, which claimed 32 lives.<ref name="hostages">{{cite web|date=12 March 2025|title=Pakistan says more than 300 hostages rescued from hijacked train|work=Al Jazeera|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/12/pakistan-says-more-than-300-hostages-rescued-from-hijacked-train|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312204056/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/12/pakistan-says-more-than-300-hostages-rescued-from-hijacked-train|archive-date=12 March 2025|access-date=12 March 2025}}</ref>
+== Victims ==
+Officials claimed that all 33 BLA fighters involved in the attack were killed. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the military's propaganda wing, [[Inter-Services Public Relations]] (ISPR), provided details on the casualties, stating that five civilians, three railway employees, and eighteen security personnel who were passengers on the train lost their lives. Additionally, three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed at a picket point, one FC soldier was killed on Wednesday morning, and another was stationed for security duty on the train.<ref name=":Dawn Update">{{Cite news |date=March 14, 2025 |title=Will take on terrorists, enablers both inside and outside Pakistan: DG ISPR |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1897846 |access-date=March 14, 2025 |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="News 24">{{cite news |last=Thapa |first=Vaidika |date=13 March 2025 |title=Pakistan Train Attack: Jaffar Express Rescue Operation Ends, 33 Terrorists Killed And 30 Civilians Dead |url=https://news24online.com/world/pakistan-train-attack-jaffar-express-rescue-operation-ends-33-terrorists-killed-and-30-civilians-dead/500820/ |work=[[News 24 (Indian TV channel)|News24]] |access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref>
+Among the victims were at least three minors,<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 11, 2025 |title=104 hostages rescued after attack on Jaffar Express in Balochistan |url=https://www.samaa.tv/index.php/2087330235-104-hostages-rescued-after-attack-on-jaffar-express-in-balochistan |access-date=March 13, 2025 |work=[[Samaa TV]] |language=en}}</ref> and officials expressed concerns that the death toll could increase due to the substantial number of injuries sustained during the incident.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 15, 2025 |title=Military vows to crush Balochistan terrorists, abettors |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1897969/military-vows-to-crush-balochistan-terrorists-abettors |access-date=March 15, 2025 |publisher=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |language=en}}</ref> Initially, it was reported that the train driver, Amjad Yasin, had been killed; however, it was later confirmed that he had only suffered injuries after being shot in the back when BLA fighters opened fire on the train.<ref name=":Samaa TV">{{Cite news |date=March 13, 2025 |title=Jaffar Express attack: Train driver shares harrowing experience |url=https://samaa.tv/2087330367-jaffar-express-attack-train-driver-shares-harrowing-experience |access-date=March 13, 2025 |work=[[Samaa TV]] |language=en |archive-date=13 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250313132343/https://www.samaa.tv/2087330367-jaffar-express-attack-train-driver-shares-harrowing-experience |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=13 March 2025 |title=Jaffer Express driver returns safe |work=The Express Tribune |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2533966/jaffer-express-driver-returns-safe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250313015203/https://tribune.com.pk/story/2533966/jaffer-express-driver-returns-safe |archive-date=13 March 2025 |access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref> Yasin, with 24 years of experience as a train driver, had previously survived a train explosion eight years prior.<ref name="doomsday">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9q4e2012q0o |title=Passengers describe 'doomsday scenes' on hijacked train |work=BBC |date=12 March 2025 |access-date=12 March 2025 |archive-date=12 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312151702/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9q4e2012q0o |url-status=live }}</ref>
+Pakistani human rights activist Mama Qadeer claimed that over 200 security personnel had been killed during the attack,<ref name=":News18">{{Cite news |date=11 March 2025 |title=Pakistan Train Hijack LIVE: 30 Security Personnel Killed, 214 Still In Captivity; BLA Demands Release Of Baloch Activists |url=https://www.news18.com/world/pakistan-train-hijack-live-updates-balochistan-militant-attack-jaffar-express-bla-rescue-operation-liveblog-9257922.html |access-date=11 March 2025 |work=[[News18]] |language=en |archive-date=11 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311114414/https://www.news18.com/world/pakistan-train-hijack-live-updates-balochistan-militant-attack-jaffar-express-bla-rescue-operation-liveblog-9257922.html |url-status=live}}</ref> while reports indicated that at least 17 passengers and three security personnel were injured.<ref name=":News18" /><ref name=":TOI">{{Cite web |date=11 March 2025 |title=Pakistan Train Hijack LIVE Updates: '27 terrorists killed, 155 hostages freed,' says Pakistan on BLA train hijack |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-train-hijack-live-updates-balochistan-hostage-terrorist-attack-passenger-jaffar-express-security-personnel-killed/liveblog/118895990.cms |access-date=12 March 2025 |work=[[The Times of India]] |language=en |archive-date=11 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311210345/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-train-hijack-live-updates-balochistan-hostage-terrorist-attack-passenger-jaffar-express-security-personnel-killed/liveblog/118895990.cms |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":ARY News">{{Cite news |date=11 March 2025 |title=President condemns terrorist attack on Jaffar Express in Balochistan |url=https://arynews.tv/jaffar-express-attack-baloch-opposes-elements-who-held-passengers-hostage-president/ |access-date=11 March 2025 |work=[[ARY News]] |language=en}}</ref> A subsequent report suggested that a total of 37 hostages sustained injuries during the assault.<ref name=":Dawn Update" />
 == Hijacking ==