US designates Majeed Brigade as a terrorist organisation

WASHINGTO: In a major development, the US on Monday added Majeed Brigade to the list of proscribed outfits, as Washington had already sanctioned the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANISATION

“Today, the Department of State is designating The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and adding the Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA’s previous Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation,” reads a statement issued by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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The move, coming at a time when Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir is visiting the US, can easily described as yet another big blow to Hindu Nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has been promoting terrorism in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Rubio in his statement mentioned the background and history of US actions regarding BLA.

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

As these organisations have been claiming responsibility for the terrorists attacks in Pakistan, Rubio noted three of these.

“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 traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding hostage over 300 train passengers.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS COMMITTED

In this connection, he also talked about President Donald Trump’s focus on counterterrorism efforts.

“Today’s action taken by the Department of State demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering terrorism.”

He added, “Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities.”

There is no doubt that the latest US move would boost Pakistan’s ongoing fight against terrorism, as Islamabad has been clear in its stance that India is sponsoring multiple terrorist outfits while Afghanistan remains a basecamp for them.

Meanwhile, India is stoking anti-Americanism for domestic consumption to silence critics in the country while desperately hoping to get attention of Trump.

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