Rawalpindi (Web Desk): Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Wednesday confirmed that no passengers were injured during the operation launched by security forces following the hijacking of the Jaffer Express in the Bolan district of Balochistan.
Speaking to a private news outlet, he shared that all 33 terrorists involved in the attack had been neutralized, while four members of the Frontier Corps were martyred during the operation.
Describing the details of the incident, the DG ISPR explained that on March 11, the terrorists targeted a section of the railway track in Bolan, stopped the Jaffer Express, and took the passengers hostage.
The militants used hostages, including women and children, as human shields in an attempt to deter security forces from taking action.
Lt Gen Chaudhry added the attackers placed suicide bombers among the hostages, which posed a significant challenge. However, security personnel were able to eliminate the threat posed by the bombers with precision, as snipers successfully neutralized them.
The DG ISPR revealed that the terrorists were in communication with their handlers based in Afghanistan, underscoring the cross-border nature of the operation and the broader threat posed by such extremist elements.
Chaudhry shared that personnel from the army, air force, Frontier Corps (FC), and Special Services Group (SSG) had all participated in the operation to rescue the hostages.
He explained that the terrorists had been in contact with their associates in Afghanistan through a satellite phone during the operation.
“You witnessed how around 100 passengers were successfully rescued yesterday evening, and today as well, a significant number of hostages were freed,” he remarked, noting that the operation had been carried out in phases. He emphasized that this rescue mission was still ongoing.
Detailing the 'final clearance operation' on the day of the rescue, the DG ISPR revealed that all the hostages were safely recovered.
He described how the operation was executed with precision and care, as the terrorists had been using the hostages as human shields.
“Our snipers targeted the suicide bombers with accuracy, and after neutralizing the threat, we proceeded to clear the train, freeing each carriage and eliminating the terrorists,” he added, highlighting the tactical success of the mission.
When asked whether he was confirming the end of the operation with all terrorists neutralized, Chaudhry responded, “Yes, all the terrorists present have been dealt with, and their total number was 33.’
He added that no passenger was hurt in the final clearance operation, but before that, “the number of passengers who fell victim to the barbarism of the terrorists is 21.”
Chaudhry mentioned the loss of three FC personnel stationed at a railway picket, as well as one more FC soldier who had been killed during the previous day's operation.
The military spokesperson added that bomb disposal teams were continuing their work, conducting thorough checks of the train and its surroundings according to standard procedures.
He explained that passengers who had managed to escape during the operation were being gathered and accounted for.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said that no one can be permitted to make innocent people of Pakistan the victim of their barbarism in the streets, trains, buses or markets because of their misleading ideas and instructions and facilitation of foreign masters.
“Whoever does this, let me say it very clearly, will be hunted down and brought to justice. Let me also say that this incident of Jaffer Express changes the rules of the game, he added.”
The DG ISPR said that said the terrorists had nothing to do with Islam, Pakistan and Balochistan.