Pakistan train attack: Baloch militants issue chilling 'all hostages will be executed' warning; read post

Separatist militants in Pakistan's Balochistan hijacked a passenger train carrying around 400 passengers on Tuesday following a shootout, news agency Reuters reported. The militants claimed that they had taken control of the train after derailing it, and hundreds of passengers, including security personnel, have been taken hostage.

The militants warned that they would execute the hostages if a military operation were carried out.

Six Pakistani military personnel were also killed, the BLA said.

"The BLA issues a final warning: If the aerial bombardment is not halted immediately, all 100+ hostages will be executed within the next hour. Majeed Brigade, STOS, Fatah Squad and Zirab Unit fighters are actively engaged in countermeasures and any further military incursion will have catastrophic consequences" the viral BLA warning mail read.

"Over 100 army personnel remain in BLA custody. The occupying forces still have a chance to cease airstrikes and save their men, or else the Pakistani military will bear full responsibility for the execution of all hostages," it further stated.

The Jaffar Express, with over 400 passengers on board in nine bogies, was on its way from Quetta in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it was fired on, railway officials told news agency Reuters.

The BLA in a statement signed by its spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the hostages will be killed if Pakistani forces launch an operation.

The BLA fighters blew the railway tracks and forced the train to stop, after which they boarded it.

"Any military incursion will be met with an equally forceful response. So far, six military personnel have been killed, and hundreds of passengers remain under BLA custody. The Baloch Liberation Army takes full responsibility for this operation," the BLA spokesperson said in the statement shared on social media.

Also read: Baloch militant group claims control of Pakistan passenger train, Jaffar Express, over 400 held hostage