The United States has appointed the Balutchistan Liberation Army (Bla) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), the State Department confirmed on Monday in a statement.
The press release also said that the major brigade had also been added as an alias to the list of specially designated world terrorists (SDGT), making it a crime in the United States to provide support for groups.
BL was first appointed as specially designated global terrorists (SDGT) in 2019 following several terrorist attacks. Since then, the group has claimed the responsibility of new violent incidents, including attacks by the Majeed brigade, added the press release.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio said today’s action underlines the Trump administration’s commitment to counter terrorism. “Terrorist designations play an essential role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to reduce support for terrorist activities,” said Rubio.
In July, Pakistan urged the international community to adopt objective and non -discriminatory policies to combat the global threat of terrorism thanks to collective efforts, while calling for the inclusion of terrorist organizations such as the major brigade, like an alias of BLA, in international terrorist lists.
The new step comes as President Donald Trump increases contacts with Pakistan, which was held in length by its predecessor Joe Biden, whose administration felt the role of Islamabad in the two decades in Afghanistan.
In 2024, Bla claimed the responsibility of suicide attacks near Karachi airport and the Gwadar port complex. In March 2025, the group said it diverted the Jaffar Express train going from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security staff and taking more than 300 hostage passengers.
The Trump Administration last month also designated as terrorists a dark group blamed for an attack in April in the Jammu and the cashmere occupied by illegally, which New Delhi blamed in Pakistan. An Islamabad accusation categorically denied.
We congratulate ourselves on the American decision to designate Bla and its major alias brigade as terrorist outfits. Credit the federal government and the Marshal Asim Munir for having presented the case of Pakistan to the American administration. These groups have long shed innocent blood under the false coverage of …
– Sarfraz Bugti (@paksarfrazbugti) August 11, 2025
Meanwhile, the chief minister of Balutchistan, Sarfraz Bugti, praised the American decision to designate the Liberation Army of Balutchistan (Bla) and his alias, the major brigade, as terrorist organizations. He has credited the federal government and Marshal Asim Munir for effectively presenting the case of Pakistan to the Trump administration.
“These groups have long shed innocent blood under the false coverage of ethnicity and rights,” said the CM. “Terrorism is terrorism; no cause justifies killing civilians. The world must unite to end this threat,” he added.
