Who are the BLA – the group behind Pakistan’s deadly train hijack?

The group’s train attack is the latest in a series of increasingly audacious assaults it has launched, often targeting Pakistan’s security forces and Chinese nationals.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Security forces in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan say they have concluded a military operation against armed separatists who hijacked the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express on Tuesday, rescuing 346 passengers.

Officials said the military had killed all 33 of the attackers from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

The train, carrying nearly 400 passengers, had left Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, in the morning when it was intercepted by BLA fighters near a series of tunnels, about 160km (100 miles) away.

General Ahmed Sharif , director general of the Inter Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing confirmed that 27 civilians — including the train driver — and one paramilitary soldier involved in the operation had also been killed.

State Interior Minister Tallal Chaudhry told Al Jazeera that the fighters had used several hostages as “human shields”.

In recent years, the BLA has significantly expanded the scale and sophistication of its operations – conducting more than 150 attacks last year alone – culminating in this recent train hijacking.

But what is the BLA, when was it created, who are its leaders, what are the group’s demands, and how has it managed to wage a battle with the state for several years?

Balochistan – Pakistan’s largest but least populous province – has a long history of marginalisation.

The province was annexed by Pakistan in 1948, six months after its partition from India in August 1947, and has witnessed several separatist movements ever since.

Home to about 15 million of