The United States on Thursday designated ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF), a group that claimed responsibility for the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, India, as a terrorist organization. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described TRF as a “front and proxy” of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan.
In an official statement, Secretary Rubio emphasized that the designation “demonstrates the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President (Donald) Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack.”
The Department of State officially added TRF as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
The statement clarified that TRF and its associated aliases have been added to LeT’s existing FTO and SDGT designations, pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, respectively.
The Department also reviewed and maintained LeT’s FTO designation, with amendments to FTO designations taking effect upon publication in the Federal Register.
The designation follows the horrific terror attack on April 22, when terrorists descended upon the Baisaran valley in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, opening fire on tourists. The assault claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly civilians, and sparked widespread outrage across India.
Numerous global countries, including the United States, expressed solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism.
Following the tragic incident, then-President Donald Trump immediately called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convey condolences for the lives lost.
He affirmed that the US stood with India in its battle against terrorism and offered all possible support to New Delhi.