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Who are BLA and Majeed Brigade, newly designated US terror groups?
The US designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its faction, the Majeed Brigade, as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) on Monday.
The US State Department on Monday officially designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its elite faction, the Majeed Brigade, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
The latest move, issued under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, further includes adding the Majeed Brigade as an alias under the BLA's already designated Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) status.
The move, as per the department, "demonstrates the Trump administration's commitment to countering terrorism".
"Terrorist designations are an important part of our struggle against this plague and an effective tool for cutting off support for terrorist acts," the State Department added.
What are the BLA and Majeed Brigade?
The Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA, is a separatist militant group that has been waging an armed insurgency in Pakistan's Balochistan province for decades.
The group claims to fight for the liberation of Balochistan from the state of Pakistan, which it blames for exploitation and institutionalised marginalisation.
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According to the US statement, the BLA was declared an SDGT in 2019 after a series of terror attacks. BLA has claimed responsibility for other attacks since 2019, including those by the Majeed Brigade.
In 2024, BLA asserted that it carried out suicide attacks at the Karachi airport and at the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. In 2025, BLA took responsibility for the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express train travelling between Quetta and Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and taking more than 300 train passengers hostage.
The Majeed Brigade is a suicide unit of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal. It has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks, such as the 2018 Karachi Chinese consulate attack and the Balochistan Gwadar hotel attack.
