BLA
US designates Balochistan Liberation Army as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
The United States on Monday designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
The Majeed Brigade was also added as an alias to BLA’s previous Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation.
"BLA was designated as an SDGT in 2019 following several terrorist attacks. Since 2019, BLA has claimed responsibility for additional attacks, including by the Majeed Brigade," read the statement issued by the US State Department.
BLA and its activities
In 2024, BLA claimed it had committed suicide attacks near the airport in Karachi and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex, as per the US State Department website.
In 2025, BLA claimed responsibility for the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding hostage over 300 train passengers.
The State Department further said: "Today’s action taken by the Department of State demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering terrorism. Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities."
US earlier designated TRF
Last month, the US Department of State on Thursday designated Pakistan's proxy terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), the group that claimed responsibility for the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, as a foreign terrorist organisation.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier said: "Today, the Department of State is adding The Resistance Front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). "
Rubio acknowledged TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians.
TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024.
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