Pakistan military ends train standoff, says 21 hostages and four troops killed

Let's start with updates on the train hijacking in Pakistan by separatist militants, which ended after a day-long standoff.

Right. In Pakistan's Balochistan province, a military operation took place to rescue hostages on the hijacked train, killing all 33 militants.

But during the standoff, 21 hostages and four security personnel also lost their lives.

On Wednesday local time, the Pakistani military initiated a comprehensive rescue operation on a train that had been ambushed by militants from the separatist Baloch Liberation Army the day before.

The Jaffar Express, carrying over 440 passengers from Quetta to Peshawar had been hijacked by the separatist BLA.

The militants detonated explosives on the railway track and launched rockets at the train, forcing it to a halt before seizing control of the train and taking hundreds hostage.

The BLA had been demanding the release of Baloch political prisoners.