Gunmen Hijack Train in Pakistan, take 450 Hostages and Threaten Execution

Armed militants have reportedly taken over 450 passengers hostage aboard a train in Pakistan’s volatile southwestern Balochistan province. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has threatened to execute all hostages if the Pakistani authorities attempt any intervention.

According to Muhammad Kashif, a senior railway official in Quetta, the passengers were being held hostage by armed gunmen. The train, the Jaffar Express, was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar when it came under fire.

In a statement, the BLA announced that during the operation, they had released women, children, and Baloch passengers, while retaining the remaining hostages, who are said to be personnel of the Pakistani security forces.

Though the BLA claimed responsibility for the attack and hostage-taking, officials from the provincial government or the railway department have not yet confirmed the hostage situation.