Security forces have launched a clearance operation in Balochistan’s Bolan area after an unknown number of terrorists took passengers of the Jaffar Express hostage, successfully eliminating at least 16 attackers and rescuing 104 civilians, said security sources. The train, with over 400 passengers on board in nine bogies, was on its way from Quetta to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it came under attack, according to security sources. Among those rescued are 55 men, 31 women and 15 children. Security sources added forces are continuing the operation to rescue the other hostages, and the circle around the terrorists is being tightened. The proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) group claimed responsibility for the attack. Following the security forces’ operation, the militants split into small groups, security sources said, adding that the injured passengers were shifted to a nearby hospital for immediate medical treatment. Soon after the attack started, security forces cordoned off and surrounded the train, and a heavy exchange of fire was reported. Security sources said that the terrorists behind the attack are in contact with their mastermind in Afghanistan and are using women and children as human shields. The operation is being carried out with extreme caution due to the presence of civilians onboard. Security sources elaborated that the operation is further complicated by the difficult terrain of the area. The attackers bombed the railway track before storming aboard the train, said security forces, adding that they also opened fire on the locomotive, injuring the driver. Security officials present on the train and the terrorists also reportedly exchanged fire. The locomotive was stopped just before a tunnel, and terrorists took control of the train in a remote, mountainous area of the province which borders Afghanistan and Iran. “Over 450 passengers onboard are being held hostage by gunmen,” Muhammad Kashif, a senior railway government official in Quetta, the capital of the province, told AFP. “Passengers include women and children,” he added. Security sources added that despite the challenging route, forces reached the scene in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district of Balochistan to initiate the operation. The Balochistan government has imposed emergency measures, and all institutions have been mobilised to deal with the situation, spokesperson Shahid Rind said. A relief train and contingents of security forces were also dispatched to the site. Meanwhile, an emergency has been imposed in Sibi and Civil Hospital Quetta. According to the provincial health department, all medical and paramedical staff have been summoned to Civil Hospital and several wards were vacated to deal with the situation. Following the incident, an emergency information desk has been established at Quetta Railway Station. A railway official was appointed to share relevant developments regarding the Jaffar Express incident. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Jaffar Express and praised the security forces for their effective and timely response. PM Shehbaz expressed the hope that the security operation would soon meet with success and the terrorists would be eliminated, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. He said that inhuman terrorists who launched the cowardly assault at Jaffar Express at Dhdhar-Bolan Pass did not deserve any concession. Terrorists were the enemies of progress and development of Balochistan province. The premier said targeting of innocent passengers in the holy and blessed month of Ramadan proved it clearly that terrorists had no relation with Islam, Pakistan and Balochistan. He also expressed the resolve of continuation of fight against terrorism till complete eradication of this specter from the country. Any conspiracy to spread chaos and lawlessness in the country would be foiled, he said, adding that they would never allow enemies of the country to succeed in their nefarious designs. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and prayed for the early recovery of the injured people. He added: “Beasts who opened fire on innocent passengers deserve no leniency.” “Terrorists are the biggest threat to Pakistan,” said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while condemning the attack on the passenger train. “Targeting innocent citizens by terrorists is a coward act,” he added. The operation was ongoing till the filing of this report.