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The Pakistan Army announced the successful conclusion of the Jaffar Express hostage-rescue operation, during which all assailants at the scene were neutralized by security forces, resulting in the safe release of the hostages.
In a statement to a private news outlet, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed the operation’s success, detailing the involvement of units from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Special Services Group (SSG), Army, and Frontier Corps (FC).
“All 33 terrorists have been eliminated… no passengers were harmed during the clearance operation,” stated the DG ISPR. He also noted, however, that prior to the operation, 21 passengers had tragically lost their lives at the hands of the terrorists.
Providing further context, Lt Gen Chaudhry explained that the terrorists had targeted a railway track in Bolan on March 11, halting the Jaffar Express and taking passengers hostage. “The militants utilized hostages, including women and children, as human shields,” he remarked.
Additionally, he indicated that the attackers had organized the hostages into groups, with suicide bombers interspersed among them. “The security forces’ snipers successfully neutralized the suicide bombers,” he added.
He disclosed that the terrorists maintained communication with their facilitators and mastermind located in Afghanistan through satellite phones during the operation.
While confirming that all terrorists at the incident site were killed, he mentioned that the bomb disposal squad was conducting clearance operations on the train and surrounding area in accordance with standard operating procedures.
Moreover, Lt Gen Chaudhry stated that hostages who managed to escape to nearby areas during the clearance operation were being collected.
In detailing the final clearance operation conducted earlier today, the ISPR chief noted that the armed forces systematically cleared each carriage and “sent 33 terrorists to hell.”
