US designates Baloch separatists as a terror group over role in attacks in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States designated a Pakistan separatist group as a foreign terrorist organization, the State Department said, a move hailed Tuesday by Pakistani officials.

The designation of the Balochistan Liberation Army and its fighting wing, the Majeed Brigade, blamed for deadly attacks in Balochistan province, coincides with a visit to the U.S. by Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Washington and Islamabad reached a trade agreement expected to allow U.S. firms to help develop Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves in resource-rich Balochistan and to lower trade tariffs for Islamabad.

The State Department is “designating the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign T