The United States has officially designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its armed wing, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. The Majeed Brigade has also been listed as an alias under the BLA’s earlier classification as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Since 2019, BLA has claimed responsibility for additional attacks, including by the Majeed Brigade.” The BLA was first designated as a global terrorist group in 2019 after being linked to several deadly incidents. Since then, it has claimed responsibility for suicide bombings and high-profile attacks carried out by its Majeed Brigade unit.
According to the US State Department, the BLA was behind suicide attacks in 2024 near Karachi airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. In March 2025, it claimed responsibility for hijacking the Jaffar Express train from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding more than 300 passengers hostage. “These violent actions have continued to threaten the security of civilians and disrupt stability in the region,” the department said.
Rubio said the designation reflects the Trump administration’s determination to counter terrorism, adding, “Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities.”
The classification allows the US government to freeze the group’s assets, make it a crime to provide support to its operations, and work with other nations to shut down its network. The BLA, already banned in Pakistan, has been waging an armed insurgency for decades demanding independence for Balochistan.
