Trump's Gift To Pakistan's Asim Munir: US Designates Baloch Separatists As Terror Group

BLA was designated as an SDGT in 2019 following several terrorist attacks.  Since 2019, BLA has claimed responsibility for additional attacks, including by the Majeed Brigade. 

The announcement comes during the visit of Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to Washington.

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The United States has officially designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its militant wing, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), the State Department announced. Pakistani authorities welcomed the move, describing it as a significant step toward countering terrorism in the country’s restive southwest.

The BLA, long accused of carrying out deadly attacks in Balochistan, was first placed on the US list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) in 2019. The latest designation adds the Majeed Brigade as an alias to the BLA’s existing terrorist status. According to US officials, both groups have continued to mount violent operations in recent years.

This Is Trump's Commitment To Coounter Terrorism: US

In an official statement, the State Department said, "Today’s action taken by the Department of State demonstrates the 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 announcement comes during the visit of Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to Washington, and follows a recent trade agreement aimed at boosting US involvement in developing Pakistan’s oil reserves in Balochistan and easing bilateral tariffs.

BLA was designated as an SDGT in 2019 following several terrorist attacks.  Since 2019, BLA has claimed responsibility for additional attacks, including by the Majeed Brigade.  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.  
  
In its statement, the State Department stressed that the designation reflects the US administration’s resolve to combat terrorism globally.

Balochistan has long been a flashpoint for separatist violence, with armed groups opposing what they see as the exploitation of the province’s natural resources by Islamabad and foreign entities. Targets have included Pakistani security forces and Chinese workers linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor megaproject.