Srinagar, Jul 18: Enforcing President Trump’s call for justice for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said that the US has designated ‘The Resistance Front’, (TRF) a proxy of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that was behind the carnage that left 26 people, mostly tourists dead, as a foreign terrorist organisation.
Rubio said that 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.
Reacting to the development, the Indian Embassy in Washington said this shows how strong the India-US counter-terrorism cooperation is.
The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack, but later backtracked as tensions soared between India and Pakistan.
Pertinently, National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified TRF head Sheikh Sajjad Gul as the mastermind of the attack.
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.
In retaliation for the Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor early on May 7, targeting nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The attack on terrorist camps led to breaking out of skirmishes between India and Pakistan that continued till May 10. Hostilities ended after Pakistan Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) approached his counterpart in India and requested for a ceasefire. (KNO)
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