NEW DELHI: India on Friday welcomed the United States’ decision to designate The Resistance Front (TRF) — a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the group behind the April 22 Pahalgam attack — as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hailed the move as a “strong affirmation” of the deepening India-US cooperation on counter-terrorism.
“Appreciate @SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF – a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy – as an FTO and SDGT. It claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack,” Jaishankar said in a social media post.
The US State Department said TRF’s designation stems from its role in orchestrating multiple attacks in India, including the deadly Pahalgam assault that left 26 civilians dead — the worst such incident since the 2008 Mumbai attacks by LeT.
The Department noted that TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks targeting Indian security forces, including in 2024.
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, TRF and its aliases have now been formally added under LeT’s FTO and SDGT listings under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224.
The State Department said the move reflects the US administration’s commitment to national security, counter-terrorism efforts, and ensuring justice for the victims of the Pahalgam attack.
