Quetta: Terrorists who attacked on Jaffer Express have in contact with the mastermind of the attack in Afghanistan.
The terrorists have made women and children as a shield while the security forces have surrounded the attackers.
The exchange of firing between security forces and terrorists are still continued.
Sources said that owing to women and children being made as shield and terrain area security forces have been conducting operation with caution.
Despite the challenging terrain and remote location, security forces launched a clearance operation.
Officials have confirmed that the attackers have foreign connections and that the operation will continue until they are neutralised.
Railway authorities stated that Jaffer Express had departed from Quetta at 9 am and was en route to Peshawar when it was attacked at Tunnel No. 8 around 1:15 pm.
The train, which had nine carriages, was carrying more than 430 passengers. The terrorists opened heavy fire, causing panic among the passengers.
Reports indicate that the train’s economy class had 235 reserved passengers, while AC Lower had 41, AC Business had 24, and AC Sleeper had six passengers.
Following the attack, railway operations were temporarily disrupted. Karachi-Quetta’s Bolan Mail and Peshawar-Quetta’s Jaffer Express were halted at Sibi for security reasons.
Meanwhile, emergency teams were dispatched to assist the affected passengers.
Security forces are continuing their operation in the region to track down the fleeing terrorists.
Authorities have vowed to eliminate those responsible and ensure the safety of passengers traveling through the area.
