Overview

• The Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) attacked the Jaffar Express on March 11, detonating a bomb to derail the train and taking hostages in the Baluchistan province.
• Pakistani military operations have freed 346 hostages, with reports confirming 28 soldiers and one paramilitary officer killed in the rescue efforts.
• At least 32 to 35 separatist fighters were killed in the clashes, but some militants reportedly escaped into surrounding mountainous areas with an unknown number of hostages.
• The BLA targeted passengers based on their regional origins, seeking to negotiate an exchange of hostages for imprisoned Baluch activists.
• This attack highlights ongoing tensions in resource-rich but impoverished Baluchistan, where separatist violence has surged, with over 1,600 killed in attacks last year alone.