'Countering terrorism': US designates Balochistan Liberation Army terror outfit; decision after Asim Munir's visit

NEW DELHI: United States has officially designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its armed wing, the Majeed Brigade, as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs), the State Department announced on Monday."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 department said in a statement, according to news agency ANI.The action taken by the department, reflects US President Donald Trump’s administration’s commitment to "countering terrorism.""Today's actions are taken pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and Executive Order 13224, as amended. FTO designations go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register," the dept added.The BLA was first designated as an SDGT in 2019 after a series of terrorist attacks. Since then, it has claimed responsibility for multiple assaults, including suicide bombings by the Majeed Brigade.

In March 2025, the BLA claimed the responsibility behind the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train from Quetta to Peshawar, in which 31 civilians and security personnel were killed and over 300 passengers were taken hostage.Last year in 2024, the group claimed deadly suicide attacks near Karachi airport and at the Gwadar Port Authority Complex