A military spokesman says the rescue operation has ended and all 33 attackers have been killed.
Pakistani forces say at least 346 hostages have been released from passenger trains hijacked by separatist fighters in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
A military spokesman said rescue operations ended on Wednesday, killing all 33 attackers.
At least 27 hostages and one paramilitary soldier were killed during the standoff process, security sources told Al Jazeera.
Fighters from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group seeking the separation of Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Jafar Express train on Tuesday. Spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said the group was ready to release passengers if authorities agreed to release the jailed fighter plane.
The train had moved from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, to Peshawar, the capital of the northwest Kyber Paktongkwa province, when it was attacked. It carried over 400 passengers when targeted while passing through a tunnel near Sibi city, about 160 km (100 miles) from Quetta.
Balochistan has struggled with lack of safety for decades. There are several armed groups in the area, including the BLA. Since 2006, the group has been banned by both Pakistan and the United States and has been designated as a “terrorist” organization.
“The Army is very active and killed 225 people last year alone. So, there are questions about whether the train had adequate security, given the security risks.”
“People feel unsafe and expressed concern, so they want to give those trains more security,” Haider said.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province, home to around 15 million people, but despite its vast resources, it remains widely undeveloped. The Baroque people make up 3.6% of Pakistan’s population, 2% of Iran and 2% of Afghanistan.
Baloch separatists have repeatedly attacked Jaffar Express in recent years. It is commonly used by security guards traveling from Punjab and Kybar Paktanwa. The last major attack on the train came when the suicide bomb exploded in November at Quetta Railway Station, ready to depart.
The BLA was responsible for the attack in which at least 30 people were killed.
In August 2024, the attackers blasted a portion of a Balochistan truck, resulting in a two-month suspension of Jaffar Express before service resumed in October. Last January, separatists exploded another bomb on a train route near the Bolan area, causing at least 13 people to be injured.
