Pakistan security sources reported that the military had freed 190 train passengers taken hostage by gunmen during a siege in the mountainous southwest. More than 450 passengers were on board when separatist militants captured the train in a remote district, with an unknown number still being held. Security forces stated that 30 terrorists had been killed, and extreme caution was being exercised due to the presence of women and children with suicide bombers. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility, releasing a video showing an explosion on the track followed by militants storming the train. Some militants reportedly fled into the mountains with hostages. Survivors described harrowing escapes, with some pleading for their release and others walking for hours to safety. The BLA, which accuses outsiders of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources, has intensified attacks on security forces and ethnic groups from other provinces. The group has demanded an exchange for its imprisoned members, and witnesses reported that militants checked IDs and targeted individuals from Punjab. Authorities transported released passengers to Quetta under tight security, while paramilitary troops prepared empty coffins at a local railway station. Balochistan, a region with significant Chinese-backed energy and infrastructure projects, has seen growing insurgency, with the BLA launching attacks against Pakistanis from other regions and foreign investments. Last year was the deadliest in a decade for Pakistan, with rising violence along the Afghan border, which Pakistan blames on militant groups operating from Afghanistan, a claim Kabul denies.