Wyoming

Survivors of Pakistan's train hijacking recount the harrowing experience

Published

8 months ago

March 16, 2025

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

At least 21 passengers were killed in last week’s hijacking of a train in Pakistan. A militant group claimed responsibility for blowing up the tracks and opening fire when the train was halfway through a tunnel, forcing it to halt. The train was carrying more than 400 people. Betsy Joles reports from Karachi.

(SOUNDBITE OF VEHICLE ENGINE)

BETSY JOLES, BYLINE: Around 4:45 on Thursday morning, vans carrying survivors of the hijacking started pulling into the railway station in Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan. Inside the station, government officials recorded the names and seat numbers of around 80 survivors of the hijacking that took place 40 hours prior. They were the last group from the train to be evacuated. Bahadur Ali, a thin 24-year-old wearing a dusty sweatshirt and gray beanie, was one of them. He described the first moments of the attack on Tuesday afternoon.

BAHADUR ALI: (Through interpreter) They said if you don’t come out, then we’ll have to come inside. Some chose to stay inside. Those who rushed out in haste were shot. Many of them were shot.

JOLES: Ali was taking the train called the Jaffar Express from Quetta to his hometown in neighboring Punjab province. The hijacking happened in a remote mountain pass along the way. It resulted in a standoff with Pakistan security forces that left 33 militants dead. Ali says he stayed on the train until he was evacuated by security forces the next day.

ALI: (Through interpreter) The situation was terrible. Everyone was worried.

JOLES: The attack was carried out by the Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA, a militant separatist group that seeks Balochistan’s independence from the rest of Pakistan. The BLA has been active since the early 2000s but has ramped up attacks in the past several years. They are now one of the most deadly insurgent groups in the region, according to Abdul Basit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

ABDUL BASIT: (Through interpreter) Anything which will be required in the tool kit of an insurgent group, they have all.

JOLES: He says increased recruitment from educated young people and tactics like suicide bombing picked up from other militant groups have made the BLA even harder for the Pakistani state to counter in this resourced-rich but impoverished part of the country.

BASIT: (Through interpreter) I would call it an inflection point in the Baloch insurgency because this is urban warfare, and this changes things.

JOLES: NPR reached out to the Pakistani military’s media wing for an interview. They declined but sent a link to comments by their Director General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on a local TV station, Dunya News.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

AHMED SHARIF CHAUDHRY: This incident of Jaffar Express changes the rules of the game.

JOLES: Chaudhry says the ringleaders of the hijacking were operating from Afghanistan. Pakistan has been struggling to contain the rise of militant attacks in its border regions. On Friday, Chaudhry also accused India of sponsoring terrorism in Balochistan. Both the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Indian government denied these accusations.

SAMMI DEEN BALOCH: In Balochistan, the state has been failed to stop the Baloch separatists. And in the end, it is the local on-ground people who will pay the price.

JOLES: This is activist Sammi Deen Baloch. She says she fears this attack will lead to more heavy-handed tactics by Pakistan’s powerful military. She’s worried about extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).

JOLES: On Friday, friends and family members gathered in the courtyard of a home in Quetta to pray. They were mourning the loss of Shamroz Khan, a 36-year-old constable in the Pakistan Railways Police who was killed during the hijacking. Standing outside the house was Khan’s colleague, Muhammed Riaz (ph).

MUHAMMED RIAZ: (Through interpreter) We are in grief now, and this grief will last throughout our lives.

JOLES: Survivors who were with Khan says he was shot in the throat when he stood up to fetch water for fellow passengers. Riaz says his friend was that kind of person.

RIAZ: (Through interpreter) Naturally, he got up to serve. He really believed in serving people.

JOLES: For now, Riaz and other railway police officials in Quetta won’t be returning to work because train services from there are suspended.

With Sadullah Akhtar in Quetta, for NPR News, I’m Betsy Joles in Karachi, Pakistan. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Wyoming

Cowboys out-shoot Cal State Fullerton for 92-82 home win Saturday

Published

21 hours ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Cowboys out-shoot Cal State Fullerton for 92-82 home win Saturday

LARAMIE, Wyo. — The University of Wyoming Men’s Basketball team advances to 2-0 after besting Cal State Fullerton 92-82 Saturday. The Pokes and the Titans shot at a near identical efficiency from the field, but it was the three ball that gave Wyoming the upper hand.

The Pokes and the Titans shot 44% and 43% from the field, respectively. While the Pokes were much less efficient than the Titans from the charity stripe, Wyoming balled out from three. There, they shot 38% as a team, while Cal State Fullerton shot just 18%.

Wyoming’s Naz Meyer continues to prove he belongs, as he led the Pokes in scoring and was second on the team with rebounds with 18 and 5. Guard Demarion Dennis was close behind with 16. Khaden Bennet rounds out the list of Pokes scoring in double digits with 15.

“So many good things that we did tonight and tip of the cap to Fullerton, as they came ready to play,” Wyoming Head Coach Sundance Wicks told UW Athletics post-game. “We have to keep proving we will be a hard team to play against. They got us in transition, and their pace had us on our heels in the first half. But we won the Possession game by 10 and that’s winning basketball.”

Leland Walker versus Cal State Fullerton Nov. 8, 2025 (Garrett Grochowski, Oil City News)

Leland Walker, who joins Wyoming from Florida Atlantic, shared the wealth with a team-high six assists. All in all, all but two Pokes got points on the board for Wyoming.

The Titans jumped to an early 5-0 lead as the game began, keeping the Cowboys without any field goals for the first three minutes. It was a layup from Walker that got the Pokes their first bucket of the afternoon.

Dennis fueled the Pokes offense while they crawled their way back up to even with the Titans, finally tying the game 7-7 just under the 16-minute mark in the half. Titans Joshua Ward and Jaden Henderson kept the score close until Wyoming jumped to a game-high 10-point lead with 7:53 left in the half.

It was ultimately Wyoming’s three-point game that gave them the advantage, especially in the second half. In the first, the Pokes were just 4-15 from three. They drained eight more on 15 attempts after the break.

Missed free throws from the Pokes helped the Titans stay in the game as well. Wyoming was just 59% from the stripe to Cal State Fullerton’s 72%. Regardless, any Titan run was quickly snuffed-out by Wyoming’s well-rounded offense.

The Pokes built a sustainable five-point lead going into crunch time and drained the free throws Fullerton drew trying to get last-minute possessions, fluffing the lead to the game’s final 92-82 box score.

The Cowboys will next face Austin Peay State University Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in Laramie. For more information, see the Cowboys’ schedule here.

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Abou Magassa versus Cal State Fullerton Nov. 8, 2025 (Garrett Grochowski, Oil City News)

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Wyoming

Wyoming Family Bags Five Huge Mule Deer In One Incredible Season

Published

2 days ago

November 8, 2025

Press Room

Wyoming Family Bags Five Huge Mule Deer In One Incredible Season

If there is one lesson to be taken away from a Wyoming family’s magnificent mule deer hunting season, it’s that putting in the work scouting an area ahead of time can pay off big time.

Ryan and Jannette Hansen — along with their sons Tanner, 17, Brock, 15 and Parker, 13 — all shot huge bucks in the same southwest Wyoming deer hunt area.

The family lives in Mountain Home in Uinta County, and spending time outdoors has been a way of life for them. Ryan and Jannette both grew up hunting.

The couple also has two adult sons that have left home and were also raised as avid hunters.

But even amid such a legacy, the Hansens’ 2025 deer hunting season was exceptional.

Ryan told Cowboy State Daily that it partly came down to luck, and sheer tenacity while hunting.

However, he credits the family putting in the work ahead of time. Once they drew tags for the hunt area, they spent months scouting it.

They put in countless hours getting to know the terrain, hiking all over the place, observing deer’s movements, and picking out which bucks they wanted to go after once the hunting season started.

“It wasn’t just a case of, ‘Hey, let’s go drive down the road and see if we can shoot a deer,’” he said.

“We really put in the work ahead of time. We put in the effort, and we were rewarded and blessed for our efforts,” Ryan added.

Parker Hansen got this mule deer buck during a family hunting trip in southwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ryan Hansen)

One Heck Of A First Deer

Their hunt area “has it all” in terms of terrain and deer habitat, Ryan said.

Vast sage flats, rugged canyons, thick timber, mountain slopes; it’s all there, and the deer thrive in it, he said.

The family started hunting there during the September archery season but didn’t get any deer.

Mule deer are notoriously difficult to hunt with a bow, Ryan said.

“We had a lot of failed stalks, and a couple of missed shots,” he said.

“Anybody that kills a mule deer with a bow is definitely a stud in my book. In all of our books,” he added.

The rifle hunting season ran from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31, and the Hansens took full advantage of it.

Parker got the first buck, on opening day of rifle season.

He made a great shot at 463 yards, and it was his first deer ever.

When asked by Cowboy State Daily how he plans to follow up getting a big buck as his first deer, Parker gave a simple answer.

“Get a bigger deer,” he said.

Parker’s buck was at the bottom of a steep canyon.

“That was definitely a hard pack out. It was literally straight up and out of that canyon,” gaining about 700 feet in elevation, Ryan said.

Tanner Hansen got this mule deer buck during a family hunting trip in southwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ryan Hansen)

One Buck After Another

Jannette shot her buck the next day, at 250 yards. Packing that deer out was easier than Parker’s buck had been but still challenging, Ryan said.

“I’m glad I had Tanner, he’s my pack horse,” he said.

Tanner told Cowboy State Daily that packing out big game animals comes naturally to him.

“It’s something I love to do, I’m a hiker,” he said.

The day that Brock dropped his buck didn’t start out so well.

“He woke up sick, throwing up,” Ryan said.

Brock still insisted on going hunting. As the morning progressed, he started feeling a little better.

“When we stopped for lunch, he got worse again,” Ryan said.

Jannette considered taking him home. But on the drive out they spotted a nice buck, which disappeared into some timber.

They decided to go after it. Ryan practically had to carry Brock because his son was so weakened by sickness.

But Brock was still excited to get the opportunity. They found the buck again and everything came together when Brock made a 160-yard shot.

He told Cowboy State Daily that the adrenaline rush of getting a chance at such a quality buck helped him forget his illness for a short while.

“It was because he was so big,” Brock said.

The family returned home, and Tanner and Ryan went back out by themselves.

They hunted all day with no luck. As evening settled in, they were high on a ridge when Tanner finally spotted a buck he wanted to go after, far below.

“He bombed off the top of that ridge and went right after him (the buck),” Ryan said.

Ryan went back to the truck and drove to where he knew Tanner would probably come out after pursuing the deer.

“It was about 10 miles of driving to get back to where he was,” Ryan said.

Tanner tracked the buck, and when it jumped from cover, he made a 250-yard shot.

Father and son packed the deer out in the dark, with headlamps to light their way.

Jannette Hansen got this mule deer buck during a family hunting trip in southwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ryan Hansen)

A Bittersweet Ending

Only Ryan’s deer tag was left unfilled. The rest of the family returned for the weekend and they hunted together, but to no avail.

With the season coming to an end and his family back home, Ryan headed out for the last couple of days with a good family friend.

They moved to a different section of the hunt unit, and when Ryan’s opportunity finally came, he dropped his buck with a 150-yard shot.

The deer hunting season that is sure to become a family legend was finally over.

“I was relieved that we were done. But kind of sad at the same time. It was a culmination of everything we had done,” Ryan said.

Brock Hansen got this mule deer buck during a family hunting trip in southwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ryan Hansen)

A Freezer Full Of Venison

Jannette told Cowboy State Daily that she’s immensely proud of her family’s hunting accomplishment, and she doesn’t take living in Wyoming for granted.

“My nieces and nephews live in the city, and they don’t even go outside,” she said.

“Living in Wyoming is such a huge blessing in and of itself, for sure. It was a blessing for us to go out as a family and get all five deer,” she added.

The boys decided to get European mounts of their bucks. That being, a simple trophy mount, with just the animal’s cleaned skull and antlers.

Ryan and Jannette plan to have a taxidermist do full shoulder mounts of their bucks, together on a double pedestal.

“It will be a ‘his and hers’ double buck taxidermy mount,” Ryan said.

For the family, the hunt isn’t just about the trophies and bragging rights. Hunting is still about being solidly connected to the time-honored tradition of providing themselves with fresh venison.

“Those deer don’t go to waste. We eat every bit of them,” Ryan said.

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.

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