UPDATE 2 - 190 hostages freed, 30 militants killed in Pakistan train siege: Military sources

UPDATES WITH RELEASE OF MORE HOSTAGES; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Some 190 hostages were freed and 30 militants were killed during a security operation that continued on Wednesday to free passengers held hostage following an ambush on a train in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, military sources said Tuesday.

Militants loyal to the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed to have taken some 214 passengers hostage after attacking a train in a hilly area of the remote Bolan district on Tuesday.

Security forces said they have got 190 hostages, including women and children, freed, while an operation for the release of the remaining passengers is underway.

Unconfirmed reports said that at least 10 passengers, including the train driver, have been killed in the ambush. There was no official word on casualties.

Heavily-armed BLA militants blew up a railway track and hijacked Jaffar Express with 400-500 passengers on board just outside a tunnel in Bolan.

According to security sources, several militants wearing explosive-laden jackets have taken positions near the hostages, compelling the troops to remain "extra careful" in carrying out the operation.

The government has suspended rail service to and from Balochistan for the next three days following the brazen attack.

The BLA and some other groups have long been involved in attacks on security forces and citizens from other provinces.

They have been fighting for the "liberation" of Balochistan, which they claim was forcibly incorporated into Pakistan following the end of British colonial rule in united India in 1947.