27 attackers killed and 155 hostages freed after train attack

Pakistani security forces announced the release of 155 hostages, while 27 assailants were killed in an ongoing operation to rescue passengers held hostage after a train ambush in the southwestern province of Baluchistan.

The militants, affiliated to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for taking another 214 passengers hostage after an attack on a train in a mountainous area of the remote Bolan district.

Security forces have announced that they have freed 155 hostages, including women and children, and are continuing an operation to free the remaining passengers.

There are unconfirmed reports that at least 10 passengers, including the train driver, died in the ambush.

No official casualty figures have been released.

According to reports, several militants wearing explosive vests were positioned near the hostages, forcing troops to exercise extreme caution in the operation.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and similar groups have long been responsible for attacks on security forces and civilians in other provinces. They are fighting for the liberation of Baluchistan, which they consider to have been forcibly integrated into Pakistan after the end of British colonial rule in 1947.