US designates TRF a terror group

NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON: India on Friday welcomed the US designating The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, a global terrorist outfit over the Pahalgam attack with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar describing it as a “strong affirmation” of India-US counter-terror cooperation.

In a swift reaction, India said the designation of TRF is a “timely and important” step and asserted that it has consistently emphasised the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

India’s reaction came hours after the US State Department announced adding the TRF as a “designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)” and cited its claim taking responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India remains committed to a “policy of zero tolerance” towards terrorism and will continue to work closely with its international partners to ensure that terrorist organisations and their proxies are held accountable.

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

“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,” he said. Earlier on Thursday, the US has designated The Resistance Front 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 (NIA) 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.

In a post on X, the Indian Embassy underlined New Delhi’s firm stance against terrorism. “Another demonstration of strong India-USA counter-terrorism cooperation. Appreciate the Department of State for listing The Resistance Front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist. TRF is a proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and claimed responsibility for the April 22 terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam. ZERO TOLERANCE for terrorism!” it said.With Agency Inputs