30 Killed as Rebels Take Hostages on Pak Train

Armed separatists launched a brazen attack on a passenger train in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, taking hostages and leaving the fate of hundreds of travelers uncertain in one of the most stunning militant operations in the region in recent years.

- Agencies

Over multiple statements, the Baloch Liberation Army claimed they had taken 214 hostages -- up from 182 they claimed earlier. These, the group said, were active Pakistani security personnel among the estimated 400-500 people on board the Jaffar Express, while releasing other civilians.

Local police confirmed that at least 35 passengers had been taken hostage, with nearly 350 believed to be safe. However, the government did not clarify if the 35 passengers still believed to be in militants' custody were civilians. The administration also did not disclose any fatalities, while the group claimed it had killed "30 enemy personnel" as they exchanged fire with security forces.

"BLA has maintained complete control of the train and all hostages for the past eight hours. Under the rules of war, these 214 hostages are considered prisoners of war and BLA is prepared for a prisoner exchange," the group said in a statement around 10 p.m., setting a 48-hour deadline for "the occupying state of Pakistan" to "release Baloch political prisoners, forcibly disappeared persons and national resistance activists".

The group added that if demands were not met "or if the occupying state attempts any military action," all hostages will be killed and the train destroyed. "The Pakistani army will bear full responsibility for the consequences."