Officials reported that an explosion on the tracks caused four carriages to derail near Somarwah, close to Sultan Kot in Sindh Province’s Shikarpur District. The Baloch Republican Guards, a Baloch rebel group, claimed responsibility for the blast shortly after it happened. According to their statement, the explosion was executed using a remote-controlled device while members of the Pakistani army, including Chief Asim Munir, were aboard. The BRG asserted that several soldiers were killed or injured in the incident, which derailed six coaches. The Jaffar Express has increasingly become a target for militant groups in recent months, as it is frequently used by Pakistani security forces traveling between Quetta, Punjab, and other locations.
In retaliation, groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have conducted multiple attacks on the train. The BLA has been engaged in a low-intensity insurgency in Balochistan for nearly two decades, primarily employing guerrilla tactics. Since early 2025, the intensity and scale of the Baloch insurgency have surged. On March 11, militants from Baloch Liberation Army-Jeeyand hijacked the Jaffar Express. Balochistan has experienced a notable rise in both the frequency and sophistication of attacks related to the Jaffar Express over the past three years, with various insurgent factions emerging, ranging from small militant cells to larger organizations capable of executing daily assaults and extensive offensives against government forces.
