India on Friday welcomed the United States' decision to designate The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), calling it a firm step forward in global counter-terrorism coordination.
TRF, which claimed responsibility for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, has now also been labelled a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the US State Department.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described the move as a “strong affirmation” of the growing Indo-US cooperation in combating terrorism. In a social media post, Jaishankar extended appreciation to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the decision.
“Appreciate @SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF – a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy – as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack,” Jaishankar said.
Also read: US declares TRF as 'terror group,' months after Pahalgam massacre
The US State Department statement described the Pahalgam massacre as the deadliest terror strike on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, also carried out by LeT.
“TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians. This was the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks conducted by LeT,” the statement noted.
The designation places the TRF alongside globally sanctioned terror groups and triggers financial and legal restrictions under US law. The outfit has also been held responsible for a series of other attacks targeting Indian security personnel, including incidents in 2024.
“TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024,” the statement said.
According to the US government, the move reinforces the Trump administration’s stance on terrorism. “These actions taken by the Department of State demonstrate the Trump Administration's commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President Trump's call for justice for the Pahalgam attack,” the statement added.
The United Nations Security Council had earlier condemned the Pahalgam massacre, calling for all perpetrators, organisers, and sponsors of the attack to be held accountable.
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