US designates Lashkar proxy TRF as foreign terrorist body

Washington, Jul 18: In a significant development, the US has designated The Resistance Front, a proxy of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that was behind the Pahalgam attack, as a foreign terrorist organisation.

In a statement issued by the Department of State on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this action demonstrates the US’ commitment to enforcing President Donald Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack.

Reacting to the development, the Indian Embassy in Washington said this shows how strong the India-US counter-terrorism cooperation is.

Twenty-six people were killed in the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the attack, but later backtracked as tensions soared between India and Pakistan.

India’s National Investigation Agency has identified TRF head Sheikh Sajjad Gul as the mastermind of the attack.

Rubio said the Department of State is designating the TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

“TRF and other associated aliases have been added to LeT’s designation as a FTO and SDGT pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, respectively. The Department of State has also reviewed and maintained the FTO designation of LeT,” he said.

Rubio further said that this action against the TRF “demonstrates 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”.

“This (Pahalgam attack) was the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks conducted by LeT. TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024,” the secretary of state said.

Meanwhile, India on Friday welcomed the US move to designate The Resistance Front, a proxy of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that was behind the Pahalgam attack, as a global terrorist organisation.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described Washington’s decision on The Resistance Front (TRF) as a “strong affirmation” of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.

In a social media post, he specially complimented US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for designating the proxy of Pakistan-based LeT.

“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,” the external affairs minister said.