WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday designated the Balochistan Liberation Army as a global terrorist group.The State Department said it was classifying the BLA as a global terrorist group, making it a crime for anyone in the United States to assist the militants and freezing any US assets they may have.The BLA “is an armed separatist group that targets security forces and civilians, mainly in ethnic Baloch areas of Pakistan,” the State Department said in its designation.“The Department of State has designated the Balochistan Liberation Army and Hizbullah operative Husain Ali Hazzima as Specially Designated global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order (EO) 13224,” the department confirmed in a statement.The BLA has targeted Chinese interests in Pakistan multiple times, including a brazen daylight attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi that left four people martyred in November. In May, five people including a soldier were martyred after gunmen stormed the only five-star hotel in Gwadar.The US designation of the group comes despite vocal concerns by Washington over the Belt and Road initiative, with Washington accusing China of imposing debt traps on developing nations.
07-03-2019, 01:22 PM
US brands BLA a global terrorist group
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