Washington: The U.S. Department of State on Thursday (local time) officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF), the group behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, as a terrorist organization.
In a statement issued by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the department confirmed that TRF, a proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. The statement described the incident as the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by LeT.
Accordingly, TRF has been designated both as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity.
“Today, the Department of State is designating The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). TRF claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. This was the deadliest civilian attack in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. TRF has also claimed several other attacks on Indian security forces, most recently in 2024,” the statement read.
The U.S. government emphasized that the designation reflects its continued commitment to combating terrorism and protecting its national security.
“These actions by the Department of State demonstrate the Trump Administration’s firm resolve to counter terrorism, protect national security, and support justice for victims of the Pahalgam attack,” the statement added.
It further clarified that TRF and its aliases have been added under LeT’s existing designations pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224. The FTO designation of LeT has also been reaffirmed. These changes take effect upon publication in the Federal Register.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar underlined the urgent need for a tough stance against terrorism. Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Tianjin, he referred to the Pahalgam attack as a deliberate attempt to destabilize Jammu and Kashmir’s tourism economy and incite religious division.
In a post on X, Jaishankar highlighted the interconnected threats of terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
“On April 22, we witnessed a graphic example in the Pahalgam terror attack. It was deliberately carried out to harm the tourism-driven economy of Jammu and Kashmir and provoke religious discord. The UN Security Council, of which several of us are current members, strongly condemned the attack and emphasized the need to hold its perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors accountable. We have taken steps in that direction and will continue to do so. The SCO must uphold its founding principles and adopt an uncompromising approach toward terrorism,” Jaishankar stated.
