The United States has designated militant group the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, The Majeed Brigade, as a foreign terrorist organization, the U.S. Department of State said Monday.
Pakistan has repeatedly stated that BLA is receiving support from India and has been involved in numerous attacks within the country, causing human and infrastructure losses.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Today, the Department of State is designating The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and adding the Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA’s previous Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation. “
BLA, he said, was designated as an SDGT in 2019, pointing out that since then, it has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including by the Majeed Brigade.
In 2024, Secretary Rubio noted that BLA claimed it had committed suicide attacks near the airport in Karachi and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. In 2025, he added, BLA claimed responsibility for the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding hostage over 300 train passengers.
“Today’s action taken by the Department of State demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering terrorism,” the top US diplomat said.
“Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities. “
He added, “Today’s actions are taken under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and Executive Order 13224, as amended. FTO designations go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register. “
