The United States Department of State, on August 11, 2025, officially designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its armed wing, the Majeed Brigade, as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224.
This measure, which takes effect upon publication in the Federal Register, not only adds the Majeed Brigade as an alias to the BLA’s prior Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) listing from 2019, but also marks a significant escalation in US counterterrorism policy, reflecting the ongoing commitment of the Trump administration to combating global terrorism.
The FTO designation entails far-reaching legal and financial consequences. It enables the US government to freeze the assets of the BLA and its aliases, criminalises any support or material assistance to these groups, and provides for enhanced cross-border cooperation to disrupt their operations. Previously, the SDGT designation primarily targeted financial flows; the new FTO status criminalises even non-financial forms of support, increasing international pressure on the group and its sources of backing.
The decision follows several years of BLA-linked violence targeting government and civilian infrastructure in Pakistan, particularly in the southwestern province of Balochistan. The BLA, which seeks an independent Balochistan, intensified its operations in 2024 and 2025—including high-profile suicide attacks attributed to the Majeed Brigade.
