On Wednesday, the Pakistani army announced that it had completed a 30-hour operation to rescue train passengers who a separatist group in Balochistan took hostage. The military confirmed that 21 civilians and 4 security personnel lost their lives during the operation. In an official statement, the army also reported that all 33 rebels, including suicide bombers, were killed by security forces.

The attack targeted the Jaffar Express, which carried 440 passengers in nine coaches from Quetta to Peshawar. Members of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) used explosives to derail the train. They hijacked it near the rugged terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri, inside a tunnel located 160 kilometres from Quetta, on Tuesday.

"Intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed that the attack was orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from Afghanistan, who were in direct communication with the terrorists throughout the incident," according to a statement. "Pakistan expects the Interim Afghan Government to uphold its responsibilities and deny use of its soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan," it further read.

Before the army's announcement, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed on Wednesday evening that it had killed 50 passengers. A day earlier, on Tuesday, the group stated that it was holding 214 people, most of whom were security personnel. The BLA, the most powerful rebel group operating in Balochistan, a region bordering Iran and Afghanistan, had issued a warning that it would start executing hostages if authorities failed to meet its 48-hour deadline. The group demanded the release of Baloch political prisoners, activists, and missing persons whom it alleges were abducted by the military.

According to Army spokesperson Lt. Gen Ahmad Sharif, the Pakistani security forces took their time to complete the operation because the rebels were holding hostages as human shields. 

"The rescue operation continued periodically, and in the final clearance operation in the evening, all remaining hostages were secured. Since the terrorists were using passengers as human shields, the operation was conducted with extreme precision and caution," he disclosed to a news channel.

He explained that snipers first eliminated the suicide bombers before systematically clearing each train compartment. Sharif also confirmed that no passengers were harmed during the operation. 

The BLA released a video where it was captured that its members were bombing a section of the railway track ahead of attacking the train on Tuesday afternoon. The grainy, 1-minute-23-second footage shows passengers crouched on the ground against a mountainous backdrop while armed rebels stand guard over them. Some freed passengers later recounted how they had to walk for hours through rugged mountainous terrain to reach safety.

"I can't find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying," Muhammad Bilal, who was on the Jafar Express train with his mother, shared his horrifying encounter with the militant narrative with AFP.