Says BLA shares illicit logistical networks with ISIL-K and has access to advanced military equipment
The United Nations logo adorns a window at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 18, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS
A United Nations Security Council report issued has formally implicated the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and terrorist entities operating from Afghanistan, highlighting tactical collaboration and shared operational logistics between the groups.
The report, submitted by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, said the BLA was sharing facilitation networks and acquiring advanced military equipment alongside other recognised terrorist organisations.
According to findings submitted to the UN, regional member states had reported that the BLA and ISIL-K were actively sharing illicit logistical and facilitation networks.
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The report also referred to the proliferation of NATO and US-origin military stockpiles left behind following the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying these had fallen into the hands of BLA militants.
Regional member states reported that the networks provided access to modern tactical equipment, including reconnaissance drones, night-vision devices and thermal imagers, as well as specialised training in urban combat and drone operations.
According to the report, BLA militants used such equipment, including tactical drones and US-origin small arms such as M4 assault rifles and M16 carbines, in attacks against Pakistani security personnel, civilians and infrastructure.
The UN document further said BLA militants had received direct instruction and combat training from Al Qaeda trainers based in Afghanistan.
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Member-state reporting submitted to the Monitoring Team confirmed that BLA militants were trained alongside Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members at facilities in Afghanistan, according to the report.
The findings pointed to what the report described as growing operational links among various militant groups operating across the border.
The report also noted an escalation in cross-border security challenges and a high frequency of insurgent attacks.
It said that despite continued counter-terrorism efforts, the availability of advanced military equipment left behind in Afghanistan continued to strengthen the fighting capability and operational endurance of the terrorist groups.
This is not the first time a UN report has pointed to the threat posed by militant groups operating from Afghanistan. In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the TTP had established a new base in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in mid-2023.
The report shed light on close ties between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban, as well as between the TTP and anti-Pakistani groups and Al Qaeda.
It further revealed that some Taliban members had joined the TTP, viewing it as a religious obligation to provide support.
According to interlocutors cited in the report, TTP members and their families received regular aid packages from the Taliban.
Importantly, the UN report noted a significant increase in Afghan nationals among the TTP ranks, supporting Pakistan’s stance that a growing number of Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks in the country.
