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.
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.
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. Later in May, seven multi-party delegations from India visited 33 global capitals, including Washington, to reach out to the international community to emphasise Pakistan’s links to terrorism.
