Pakistani forces have freed the remaining passengers from a hijacked prepare after militants from the Baloch Liberation Military (BLA) seized a whole bunch of hostages and killed greater than 100 folks.

“All harmless hostages have been safely rescued, and their evacuation is underway,” the Pakistani military mentioned in an announcement on Wednesday, in keeping with NBC Information.

The rescue operation adopted a sequence of executions by the militants, who claimed to have killed 50 hostages, along with 10 on Tuesday. The assault additionally resulted within the deaths of 10 Pakistani troopers and 30 different folks killed in fight. The military reported rescuing roughly 178 hostages on Wednesday, along with 168 recovered the day earlier than.

Greater than 400 folks, together with 214 troopers and safety personnel, have been aboard the prepare touring to Peshawar when militants detonated explosives on the tracks because the prepare entered a tunnel in a mountainous area. The explosion halted the prepare, after which gunmen opened fireplace, killing 11 folks. The attackers then took passengers hostage, separating legislation enforcement personnel from civilians earlier than main them into the mountains in teams.

The BLA, an ethnic separatist group that has waged a long-running insurgency in opposition to the Pakistani authorities, claimed accountability for the assault. The group demanded the discharge of Baloch political prisoners, activists, and others inside 48 hours, and threatened to execute hostages if the federal government didn’t adjust to their calls for, per NBC Information.

The BLA mentioned none of its fighters have been killed and mentioned hostages had not been freed however that it had “launched all the ladies, youngsters, sick and Baloch civilians.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault, calling it “cowardly.”

“Concentrating on harmless passengers throughout the peaceable and blessed month of Ramadan clearly displays that these terrorists haven’t any reference to Islam, Pakistan or Balochistan,” he mentioned. “The battle in opposition to terrorism will proceed till this menace is totally eradicated from the nation.”