'All present terrorists there sent to hell': Pakistan says Jaffar Express operation complete

Pakistan on Wednesday said that the clearance operation in Balochistan launched a day earlier after the Jaffar Express train was attacked and hijacked has been completed and that all terrorists present there have been killed.

Providing details of the operation, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the area where the incident took place was difficult to approach as it was far away from civilisation and road networks.

Providing details on the “final clearance operation,” Chaudhry told The Dawn, “All hostage passengers were recovered. This operation was conducted with great skill and care since terrorists were using them as human shields.

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“Snipers of security forces sent the suicide bombers to hell and then began clearing (out the train) bogey by bogey and sent all terrorists to hell.”

When asked if he was confirming the operation’s conclusion with all terrorists eliminated, the DG ISPR responded, “Yes, all present terrorists there have been sent to hell and their total number was 33.”

He noted that no passengers were injured during the final clearance operation, however, “the number of passengers who fell victim to the barbarism of the terrorists is 21.”

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Chaudhry further mentioned that three FC personnel stationed at the railway picket were martyred, and one FC soldier lost his life during yesterday’s operation.

The chief of the military’s media wing added that the bomb disposal squad was conducting further clearance and inspecting the train and its surroundings according to standard operating procedures.

Chaudhry indicated that the passengers who had fled to the surrounding area during the operation were also being gathered.

“No one can be permitted to make innocent people of Pakistan the victim of their barbarism in the streets, trains, buses, or markets because of their misleading ideas and instructions and facilitation of foreign masters.

“Whoever does this, let me say it very clearly, will be hunted down and brought to justice. Let me also say that this incident of Jaffar Express changes the rules of the game," The Dawn quoted Chaudhry as saying.

Earlier, the separatist militants on Wednesday claimed that they have killed 50 passengers in train hijacking.

“Today, the enemy forces attempted an armed advance using heavy artillery and sophisticated weaponry, leading to intense clashes,” Reuters quoted the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as saying in a statement.

“In direct retaliation to Pakistan’s persistent aggression … the BLA has executed 50 additional captive enemy personnel within the past hour,” added the statement.

Hours before the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) announced the execution of 50 hostages, a security official claimed that all militants at the site had been killed and that the operation was in its “final phase.” However, Reuters could not verify this account.

The BLA, the largest ethnic armed group in Balochistan, has intensified its activities recently, employing new tactics to inflict casualties and target Pakistan’s military. They claim to be fighting for a larger share of the region’s mineral wealth, which they allege is denied by the central government.

The BLA threatened to execute hostages if authorities did not meet their 48-hour deadline for releasing Baloch political prisoners and those they allege were abducted by the military. Before announcing the killings, the group indicated that half of the allotted time had passed and warned that retaliatory executions would begin if military operations continued.

With inputs from agencies