us-lists-bla-majeed-brigade-as-terror-groups

The United States on Monday designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), citing a series of deadly attacks in Pakistan.

 

The Majeed Brigade was also added as an alias to the BLA’s earlier classification as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity.

 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the move in a press statement, noting that since 2019, the BLA has claimed responsibility for further attacks, including those carried out by the Majeed Brigade.

 

The BLA, long under US scrutiny, was first designated as an SDGT in 2019 over its links to terrorist incidents. Since then, the group has claimed multiple assaults, including suicide bombings and high-profile attacks attributed to the Majeed Brigade.

 

According to the US State Department, the BLA claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in 2024 near Karachi airport and at the Gwadar Port Authority Complex.

 

In March 2025, the group admitted to hijacking the Jaffar Express train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, an incident that left 31 civilians and security personnel dead. More than 300 passengers were taken hostage during the attack.

 

“These violent actions have continued to threaten civilian security and destabilise the region,” the statement said. It added that the move reflects the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering terrorism, with terrorist designations serving as a critical tool to disrupt support and funding for such groups.

 

The FTO listing allows the US government to freeze the group’s assets, criminalise support for its operations, and work with other nations to block its activities.

 

The BLA, already designated a terrorist organisation by both the US and Pakistan, has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Pakistani government, demanding independence for Balochistan, a mineral-rich province.

 

Earlier this year, the US designated The Resistance Front (TRF) – an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba – as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, months after a deadly attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 people.