Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan on Friday claimed that the hijacking of the Jaffar Specific prepare earlier this week was carried out by “terrorists” who had been speaking with “handlers in Afghanistan”, whereas alleging that India was the mastermind behind it.
“We should perceive that on this terrorist incident in Balochistan, and others earlier than, the principle sponsor is jap neighbour [India],” Lieutenant Basic Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the director common for the army’s media wing Inter-Providers Public Relations (ISPR), mentioned throughout a information convention in Islamabad.
Chaudhry additionally referred to the media protection carried out by Indian mainstream channels, which relied on movies shared by the Baloch Liberation Military (BLA), the separatist group accountable for the assault, and accused them of utilizing photos generated by synthetic intelligence or outdated incidents.
Through the briefing which lasted greater than an hour, Chaudhry, together with Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, provided some particulars of the military operation — named Operation Inexperienced Bolan — that culminated within the launch of lots of of passengers from the prepare following a 36-hour standoff that started on March 11.
In keeping with Chaudhry, a complete of 354 passengers were rescued, whereas 26 passengers and safety officers had been killed. As well as, 33 fighters belonging to the BLA had been additionally killed.
Whereas the army had earlier mentioned that 21 civilians or safety personnel had been killed, Chaudhry said that as safety officers cleared the realm, extra injured people had been discovered, a few of whom later died.
Of the 26 killed, 18 belonged to the military or paramilitary forces, three had been railway employees members and 5 had been civilian passengers.
‘Aerial Models’ for reconnaissance
Chaudhry mentioned that 4 hours after the prepare had departed from Quetta, the BLA attackers intercepted the prepare 32km (20 miles) from Sibbi metropolis, simply earlier than it entered a tunnel within the Bolan Cross area, identified for its rugged, mountainous panorama.
“The BLA terrorists intercepted the prepare utilizing an improvised explosive gadget. Earlier than that, they started their raid in giant numbers and encountered a paramilitary checkpoint, eliminating three troopers there. As soon as the prepare was stopped, they stored the ladies and youngsters inside whereas taking the boys exterior as hostages,” he mentioned.
“As quickly because the incident occurred, we activated our response groups and began to observe the scenario whereas sustaining an applicable distance,” Chaudhry mentioned.
Whereas Chaudhry didn’t disclose specifics, visible proof from the briefing indicated that the Pakistani army relied closely on drones to observe the scenario.
Intelligence sources additionally confirmed that reconnaissance groups and aerial items had been deployed inside an hour of the prepare being stopped.
The final mentioned that the BLA segregated passengers primarily based on ethnicity, a undeniable fact that was confirmed to Al Jazeera by survivors, as properly.
“They divided folks into smaller teams primarily based on ethnicity. Whereas a lot of BLA fighters moved away to their hideouts within the mountain, a smaller group remained with the hostages,” he mentioned. Most of the fighters who remained on the website “had been suicide bombers,” he added.
Chaudhry said that intelligence monitoring revealed the abductors had been utilizing walkie-talkies to allegedly talk with their “handlers in Afghanistan.”
How did the operation unfold?
The army mentioned that on the evening of March 11, greater than eight hours after the hijacking, a bunch of ladies, youngsters, and aged passengers had been launched, who walked to the closest prepare station, 6km (4 miles) away.
Intelligence monitoring by safety businesses on the time prompt the potential presence of suicide bombers among the many hostages. On the morning of March 12, Chaudhry mentioned, army snipers killed a number of BLA fighters, enabling some hostages to flee amid the chaos.
The primary floor operation was then ready, to be led by the Zarrar Firm, an elite unit of the Military’s Particular Providers Group (SSG), which specialises in operations towards armed teams.
“It’s a extremely educated unit uniquely geared up for counterterrorism conditions, together with hostage crises. The corporate commander is a major-ranked officer,” an intelligence supply mentioned.
Displaying a video clip, Chaudhry famous that because the operation commenced, many hostages sitting exterior the prepare ran for security.
“By noon on March 12, Zarrar Firm had accomplished its situational evaluation. Monitoring BLA communications revealed potential suicide bombers had been stationed close to the hostages. They had been eradicated first, after which the troops made their approach contained in the prepare,” the overall added.
“It demonstrates the professionalism and competence of our troops that there was not a single hostage casualty throughout the rescue operation,” he mentioned.
All of the fighters had been killed. Safety officers advised Al Jazeera that they might not seize anybody alive because of the nature of the operation.
“As a matter of coverage, capturing insurgents stays essential to our doctrine, however a hostage scenario presents little room for that. If you wish to rescue the hostages, actions have to be exact and surgical,” a safety official mentioned, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.
How have India and Afghanistan responded?
Following the information convention, neither India nor Afghanistan issued an instantaneous response.
Nonetheless, earlier on Friday, officers from each nations strongly reacted to Pakistan’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs assertion on Thursday, which additionally blamed each nations.
“India has been concerned in terrorism in Pakistan. Within the assault on Jaffar Specific, the terrorists had been in touch with their handlers and ring leaders in Afghanistan,” Pakistan’s Overseas Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan mentioned throughout his weekly information briefing in Islamabad yesterday.
Khan added that intercepted communications confirmed hyperlinks between the attackers and Afghanistan.
“The terrorists have protected havens in Afghanistan, and Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan interim authorities to stop teams just like the BLA from utilizing its soil for terrorism,” he mentioned.
The Indian authorities categorically rejected Pakistan’s allegations.
“We reject the baseless accusations made by Pakistan. The entire world is aware of the place the epicentre of worldwide terrorism is. Pakistan ought to look inside itself as a substitute of blaming others for its inner issues and failures,” Indian Ministry of Overseas Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal mentioned in an announcement on Friday.
Afghanistan additionally denied any connection between the attackers and its territory.
“Pakistan ought to concentrate on its safety and resolving its inner points as a substitute of constructing irresponsible statements,” an announcement from Kabul learn.
The Taliban-led authorities’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi additionally urged Pakistan on social media to “concentrate on resolving its safety and inner points as a substitute of constructing such irresponsible feedback”.
Balkhi additionally claimed that no BLA members had been current in Afghanistan and denied any connection between the group and Afghanistan.
Final month, a United Nations report said that the Afghan Taliban, in energy since August 2021, gives help to the Pakistan Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP), which has carried out a number of assaults in Pakistan.
It additional mentioned that the BLA reportedly has ties with each the Pakistan Taliban and the ISIL affiliate in Khorasan Province (ISKP), indicating a broader convergence of armed teams with distinct, however intersecting agendas.
