US designates Balochistan Liberation Army, Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organisations

Washington: The US has officially designated Baloch militant group Majeed Brigade as an alias of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and designated both as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTO).

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement 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."

The US had in 2019, designated Baloch freedom fighters/militants as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)".

The statement connected several violent incidents including suicide attacks, train hijacking and killings to the Baloch militants.

"In 2024, BLA claimed it had committed suicide attacks near the airport in Karachi and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex.? 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 statement read.