Pakistan train hijack: BLA militants killed, all hostages freed; 27 off-duty soldiers dead | Top points

All train passengers taken hostage by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants in southwestern Pakistan have been freed, an Army official said on Wednesday. All rebels, who were involved in the Pakistan train hijack, have also been killed in a Pakistani Army operation, ending the militants' over 24-hour siege.

An Army official has also confirmed that 28 soldiers, including 27-off duty soldiers who were also passengers on the train, were killed in the siege. One soldier was killed during the operation. “346 hostages were freed and over 30 terrorists were killed during the operation,” an Army official told AFP.

HERE IS WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE PAKISTAN TRAIN HIJACK

1. A passenger train carrying at least 400 onboard was fired upon by a separatist group in Pakistan's Mushqaf area of the Bolan district of Balochistan, killing at least six security personnel who were onboard the train.
2. The separatist group also hijacked the train and took some hostages, including security personnel, after storming the train.
3. The Jaffar Express, carrying around 400 passengers in nine bogies, was traveling from Quetta in southwestern Balochistan to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
4. Warning the Pakistan security of launching any counter-operation, the BLA released some women, children and other passengers but continued to hold Pakistani Army security personnel in their custody.
5. The Pakistani security forces launched an operation and rescued 190 passengers.
6. Earlier in the day, officials said that some of the militants wearing vests loaded with explosives had formed groups of women and children and forced them to sit near them to discourage security forces.
7. After over 24 hours into the operation, state-run Radio Pakistan confirmed that all BLA rebels were neutralised by the security forces.
8. As the Pakistani forces continued to battle the BLA for a second day on Wednesday after the hijacking of a train, the Jaffar Express, in Balochistan, China expressed its readiness to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation with Islamabad.