Pakistan: Army ends train hijacking in operation with 21 civilians, 4 military personnel killed
Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif said security forces shot down 33 terrorists present at the scene.
A Pakistani serviceman in the operation
The Pakistani government announced Thursday that the Army put an end to the hijacking of a train carrying 450 passengers. In a rescue operation carried out by Pakistani forces, at least 21 passengers and four soldiers were killed.
Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif told Dunya News TV that security forces killed 33 terrorists during the rescue operation.
"The armed forces successfully concluded the operation Wednesday evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers unharmed," Lt. Gen. Sharif said in remarks carried by Hindu News.
According to authorities, terrorists forcibly seized the train on Tuesday and held more than 450 passengers hostage. The assault on the convoy took place in Balochistan province, in southwestern Pakistan.
Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan, is an area swarming with various armed independence movements as well as Islamic fundamentalists. Both the Taliban government of Afghanistan and the Pakistani government have clashed with these groups.
This latest attack was claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, the main separatist group in the region.
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