KEY POINTS
- BLA commander Gul Rehman, mastermind of the Jaffar Express hijacking, killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
- Pakistan says he also directed attacks on civilians, security forces, Chinese nationals and CPEC projects.
KABUL, Afghanistan: A senior commander of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), the mastermind of a deadly train attack in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, has been killed in Afghanistan, security sources, cited by various media outlets, said on Saturday.
The terrorist commander, identified as Gul Rehman, also known as Ustad Mureed, was killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province on 17 September, according to media reports, citing sources. Indian media also reported his death, though Afghan Taliban authorities have not issued confirmation.
Rehman was described as the operational commander of the BLA’s Majeed Brigade, a faction Pakistan accuses of being backed by India. He had reportedly orchestrated the Jaffar Express hijacking in March 2025, in which terrorists blew up train tracks and held more than 400 passengers hostage in a remote mountainous area of the Bolan district.
The day-long standoff ended after Pakistani security forces engaged the terrorists and freed the hostage passengers during the rescue operation. Security forces also killed 33 attackers during the operation, officials said at the time.
Pakistani security sources, cited by different media outlets, said Rehman had also overseen attacks targeting civilians, security forces, Chinese nationals and infrastructure linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The terrorist commander was described as a leading trainer within the Majeed Brigade, which Islamabad refers to as “Fitna al-Hindustan,” its label for Indian-linked terrorist group operating in Balochistan.
The United States last month designated the BLA and its Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs), citing their record of violent attacks. The BLA had previously been listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity in 2019.
Since then, the group has claimed responsibility for a string of deadly attacks, including suicide bombings near Karachi Airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex in 2024, and the Jaffar Express hijacking earlier this year.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused India’s external intelligence agency, RAW, of funding and directing BLA operations.
Islamabad has also urged Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghan territory to launch cross-border attacks.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s foreign office summoned the Afghan interim ambassador in Islamabad to convey concerns about “terrorists sheltering on Afghan soil.”
The surge in terrorist violence has increased tensions between the two neighbours, with Pakistan warning that continued Afghan inaction against groups such as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the BLA would be considered a “hostile” act.
In July, Pakistan’s envoy to the United Nations called on the international community to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a hub for terrorism, saying instability there threatens “its neighbours, the region, and beyond.”
