The Pakistan Army announced on Wednesday that the Jaffar Express hostage-rescue operation was completed successfully and all attackers present at the site were killed by security forces and hostages freed.

Speaking to a private news channel, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed the completion of the complex operation, elaborating that units from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Special Services Group (SSG), army and Frontier Corps (FC) took part.

“All 33 terrorists have been sent to hell…no harm caused to any passener during the clearance operation,” the DG ISPR said. However, he added, before the clearance operation, 21 passengers were martyred by the terrorists.

Divulging details of the incident, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the terrorists targeted a railway track in Bolan on March 11, stopped Jaffar Express and took passengers hostage. “The militants used hostages, including women and children, as human shields,” he added.

Furthermore, he said that the attackers had placed the hostages in groups with suicide bombers sitting amongst them. “The suicide bombers were taken out by security forces snipers,” he added.

“The terrorists remained in contact with their facilitators and mastermind based in Afghanistan via satellite phone during the clearance operation,” he revealed. 

He noted that all terrorists present on the site of the incident were killed, however, the clearance of train and area were being carried out by bomb disposal squad as per the standard operating procedure.

Besides this, Lt Gen Chaudhry said held hostages who fled to nearby areas during clearance operation were being gathered as well.

This is a developing story and is being updated with further details