US Labels Balochistan Liberation Army and Majeed Brigade as Terrorist Organizations

The United States on Monday officially designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias.

The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This move adds the Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA’s existing Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) status, originally assigned in 2019.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the decision, stating, “Since 2019, BLA has claimed responsibility for additional attacks, including by the Majeed Brigade.” The group has been linked to multiple terrorist acts, including suicide bombings and high-profile assaults.

In 2024, the BLA claimed responsibility for suicide attacks near Karachi Airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. In March 2025, the group hijacked the Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, holding over 300 passengers hostage and causing the deaths of 31 civilians and security personnel.

“These violent actions continue to threaten civilian security and destabilize the region,” the State Department said. The designation enables the US government to freeze the group’s assets, criminalize support for its activities, and coordinate internationally to dismantle its operations.

The BLA has long waged an insurgency against the Pakistani government, seeking independence for the mineral-rich province of Balochistan.

In a related move, the US recently designated The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization following a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that claimed 26 lives.