AFP: All hostages from hijacked train in Pakistan freed

All hostages from a train hijacked by militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army in Pakistan have been freed after 30 hours of fighting, a senior Pakistani military official told Agence France-Presse.

A total of "168 hostages were freed on Tuesday and 178 on Wednesday," while "27 servicemen taken hostage" were killed, he said. One soldier involved in the rescue operation was also killed, the official said. According to him, "between 32 and 35 terrorists" were eliminated.

Militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army took hostage about 450 passengers on a train traveling from Quetta (the capital of Balochistan province) to Peshawar (the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province) on March 11. The extremists blew up the railway tracks and then opened fire on the train. During the attack, there was a shootout between the train security personnel and the militants.