The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants on Thursday said that the Pakistani army spokesperson was lying about the ending of Jaffar Express train hijacking. The battle is still continuing, BLA added.
The ground reality is that the battle continues on multiple fronts, and the enemy (Pakistani military) is suffering heavy casualties and military losses, the BLA said in a statement.
The rebel group said the individuals the Pakistani army claimed to have "recovered" were in fact released by the Baloch Liberation Army under its war ethics and international norms.
"The battle is ongoing with intensity and freedom fighters are forcing the enemy to retreat on all fronts," the statement read.
Pakistan Army on Wednesday claimed that all 33 Baloch insurgents, who hijacked a passenger train carrying over 400 passengers, were killed.
However, the BLA said: "The occupying army has neither achieved victory on the battlefield nor managed to save its hostage personnel."
On Wednesday, Pakistan Army spokesperson said that the operation to rescue hostages from a train hijacked by the Baloch insurgents had ended. The spokesperson also added that four of its army personnel were killed in the operation.
“The armed forces successfully concluded the operation on (Wednesday) evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers safely,” Lt. Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said.
“Today we freed a large number of people, including women and children. The final operation was carried out with great care,” he added.
The insurgents, on Tuesday, opened fire on the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train, coming from Quetta in Balochistan province, carrying 425 passengers in nine bogies while it was passing through a tunnel.