US labels Balochistan Liberation Army & Majeed Brigade as terror groups: Who are they?

Mint

a day ago

The United States has designated Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.
The BLA was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in 2019 following several terrorist attacks. Since then, the group has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including by the Majeed Brigade, the US State Department said in a statement on Monday, 11 August.
'Today, the Department of State is designating The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), and adding the Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA's previous Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation,' the US State Department statement said.
The action, it said, "demonstrates Donald 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," the US State Department said.
Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities, the US State Department said.
The department further said that in 2024, BLA claimed responsibility for suicide attacks near Karachi airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex.
In 2025, the group said it was behind the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar in March, which resulted in the deaths of 31 civilians and security personnel, and over 300 passengers being taken hostage.
Based in Balochistan, Pakistan, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is an armed separatist group that seeks independence for the Baloch people. For decades, the group has been aiming to achieve an independent Balochistan.
The BLA was formed in response to long-standing grievances over political marginalisation, economic exploitation, and military repression by the Pakistani state, according to media reports.
The separatist group that emerged in the early 2000s is considered a terrorist organisation by Pakistan and other countries in the West.
The BLA is believed to be behind a number of attacks on Pakistani security forces, government infrastructure, and development projects – particularly those linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which it views as exploitative.
In 2024, the BLA said that it carried out suicide attacks at the Karachi airport and at the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. In March 2025, the BLA claimed the responsibility for the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, which resulted in the deaths of 31 civilians and security personnel, and over 300 passengers being taken hostage.
Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities.
The BLA stands out as the militant group challenging the authority of Pakistan the most, according to the BBC.
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.
Balochistan is a region divided between Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. The largest portion is within Pakistan, where it forms the country's largest province.
In Pakistan, it's located in the southwestern region and shares a volatile border with Iran to the West and Afghanistan to the Northwest, Sindh province to the Southeast. Balochistan also has a vast coastline along the Arabian Sea to the South.