Quetta [Pakistan], March 12 (ANI): Pakistan's security forces rescued 104 hostages held by 'terrorists' after the Jaffar Express train was attacked at Bolan Pass in Balochistan, ARY News reported citing security sources.

Hundreds of train passengers were held hostage by 'terrorists' after the attack on the train.

Security forces have rescued 104 hostages from 'terrorist' captivity, including 58 men, 31 women, and 15 children, according to security sources. 16 'terrorists' have been killed and many others have been injured, officials said.

According to security officials, 'terrorists' suffered heavy losses in this operation and split into small groups.

As many as 17 injured passengers were taken to the nearby hospital for treatment. Additional security squads were taking part in the operation in the area, according to ARY News report.

Jaffar Express heading from Quetta to Peshawar was attacked by a group of 'terrorists', leaving the driver with serious injuries in Balochistan's Bolan Pass and targeting innocent civilians. The terrorists stopped the train in a tunnel and held the passengers, including women and children, captive.

The region is considered highly inaccessible, however, a clearance operation has been launched by security forces to rescue the hostages. The 'terrorists' were surrounded by forces and an exchange of fire is underway. According to security sources, 'terrorists' are in touch with their facilitators in Afghanistan and making use of women and children as human shields.

An operation against the 'terrorists' is being conducted with extreme caution due to the difficult terrain and the risk to the hostages' lives. Emergency was declared in all hospitals in Sibbi after the incident happened in Balochistan, ARY News reported.

On Tuesday, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in a statement said that it has taken as hostages passengers of the Jaffar Express train that it seized in Pakistan, adding that it will execute the captives if Pakistani forces launch an operation.

In a statement, the BLA said that they have 'completely repelled the Pakistani military's ground assault following the seizure of Jaffar Express. After intense clashes, Pakistani ground troops were forced to retreat, but airstrikes from helicopters and drones continue unabated.'

'The BLA issues a final warning: if the aerial bombardment is not halted immediately, all 100+ hostages will be executed within the next hour. Majeed Brigade, STOS, Fateh Squad, and ZIRAB Unit fighters are actively engaged in countermeasures, and any further military incursion will have catastrophic consequences,' the statement read.

'Over 100 enemy personnel remain in BLA custody. The occupying forces still have a chance to cease airstrikes and save their men, or else the Pakistani military will bear full responsibility for the execution of all hostages,' the statement by Jeeyand Baloch, spokesperson for the Baloch Liberation Army read.

Different trains, including the Jaffar Express, have been targeted several times in terrorist attacks in Balochistan, according to an ARY News report. Earlier in November, at least 26 people were killed and over 40 others were injured, including women and children, in an explosion that took place at a platform on Quetta railway station. (ANI)