The Baloch Liberation Army, an insurgent group in Pakistan, said it captured a train full of people on Tuesday and was holding 214 hostages. The BLA said it considered the people it captured “prisoners of war.”
The group accused many of those it holds of being Pakistani security personnel. It said the attack took place in Mashkaf and that they seized a train called the Jaffar Express. Initially, the BLA said it killed six members of the security forces and seized 100 hostages. By mid-day, the number of hostages grew.
BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said that thirty members of the Pakistan security forces have been killed in clashes. The group says it gave a 48-hour “ultimatum” for a “prisoner exchange.”
The BLA has been increasingly active in recent years, which is significant for Iran – Baloch folks live in both Pakistan and Iran, including opposition figures.
The BLA said that its “freedom fighters through planned military strategy and aggressive advances forced the ground and air reinforcements of the occupying Pakistani army to retreat after eight hours of fighting.”
Pakistani group takes hostages
The group called on Pakistan to “immediately and unconditionally release Baloch political prisoners, forcibly disappeared persons and national resistance activists.”
The BLA said that “214 Pakistani personnel including military, paramilitary, police and intelligence officers are being held under full security and in accordance with the rules of war by the BLA.”
It added, “If our demands are not met within the stipulated period or if the occupying state attempts any military action during this time all prisoners of war will be neutralized and the train will be completely destroyed. The Pakistani army will bear full responsibility for the consequences.”
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, “The beasts who fire on innocent passengers do not deserve any concessions.”
The BLA said that, throughout Tuesday, it also confronted the Pakistan air force, even providing details of which unit captured the train, saying its “Majeed Brigade and Fatah squad” were involved.
The group claimed in the afternoon to hold 182 hostages, contradicting the later tally of 214. “The BLA has clarified that among the hostages are active-duty personnel from the Pakistani Army, Police, ISI, and ATF, all of whom were traveling on leave. Civilian passengers, particularly women, children, the elderly, and Baloch citizens, have been released safely and given a secure route,” it said.
This attack in Pakistan has ramifications for the wider region, affecting not only Pakistan, but also Iran. This is also a large attack; if the hostages are killed, it could mark one of the largest attacks by this group, illustrating the continued challenge it poses.