Karachi:
Jaffer Express was not inside a tunnel, but under an open sky, when he was besieged by activists who were more numerous than the details of hundreds, a police officer who survived the attack revealed.
Speaking under the cover of anonymity at the BBC Ourdou, the officer told his painful experience – from the moment of the ambush to his daring escape from captivity. He recalled how he and his colleagues retaliated against the terrorists until their ammunition is exhausted, leaving them defenseless and at the mercy of the attackers.
Controlling the official says the train was inside a tunnel at the time of the attack, the officer said that Jaffer Express had been abruptly interrupted by an explosion on the tracks. A few moments later, a rocket fire dam pleased militants who were caught by the surrounding mountains.
“They were everywhere,” he said. “Hundreds of them, when we were only seven years old – five police officers and two staff of the Frontier Corps (FC).”
Having the chances, the security team decided to count each ball. The team fired simple blows, trying to keep them at a distance, stretching the limited ammunition as much as it could.
For an hour and a half, they held the ground, exchanging the fire with the attackers.
However, while their bullets are exhausted, the activists feeling their opportunity, came down from the mountains and took control of the train.
Once the security staff are modeled, the activists forced passengers out of the train, checking their identity cards and separating them according to ethnicity.
The terrorist threatened to execute the passengers and burn the train if their requests were not satisfied by the government, while the soldiers on board were linked.
While night fell, most of the attackers withdrew, leaving a group of 20 to 25 men behind to keep the captives. In the dark, some hostages tried to flee but met a hail of bullets. They opened fire and people collapsed on the ground.
At dawn, FC reinforcements arrived, attracting the attention of activists. Seizing the opportunity, the officer and a few others took a break for this.
“We ran with everything we had,” he recalls. “They shot us on us, and one of my companions was hit, but we did not stop. We continued until we reached the station, where the FC staff took us safe to Mach.”
Meanwhile, the diversion survivors also shared their traumatic experiences. A rescued passenger described the chaos inside the train while shots and explosions resounded around them.
Passengers tell the test
The passengers of the Jaffar Express, who were released after being detained hostage by terrorists, shared their accounts of heartbreaking eyewitness of the attack.
One of the rescued passengers described the chaotic scene during the assault, declaring that the passengers had been forced to lie on the ground of the train for protection. According to the passenger, shots and explosions were heard during the attack.
The passenger also recalled that the attackers ordered everyone to land on the train, although many are hesitant. “I took my children and I went down. I told myself that as they told us to go down, we have to listen, otherwise, they arrived inside and would start to shoot,” said the passenger.
The attack, which targeted the train, led to a tense and frightening situation for passengers, many of whom feared for their lives.
The passengers of the attacked Jaffar Express, who were released from the terrorists, shared their eye accounts.
One of the rescued passengers told the ordeal, saying that during the attack, there was chaos all around, and everyone was lying on the soil of the train to protect themselves. At that time, there were shots followed by explosions.
The passenger also explained that the terrorists ordered everyone to get off the train, but many were hesitant. He said, “I took my children and I went down. I told myself that as they told us to go down, we should listen, otherwise, they were coming inside and would start to shoot.”
He added: “We went down, and after that, they left me, my children and my wife, telling us not to look back.”
A senior passenger who was also rescued that the terrorists had asked children to get off the train, explaining that there was no security inside or outside the train.
The group went down and, fortunately, was spared. They continued to walk for hours, finally falling into a channel, but after walking for about four hours, they have reached a safe location.
(With News Desk entry)