US Designates ‘The Resistance Front’ as a Foreign Terrorist Organization Over Pahalgam Attack By Arshad Mehmood / The Media Line US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday that the Trump administration has officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), citing its involvement in the April 22 attack in Indian-administered […]
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The Media Line: US Designates ‘The Resistance Front’ as a Foreign Terrorist Organization Over Pahalgam Attack
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US Designates ‘The Resistance Front’ as a Foreign Terrorist Organization Over Pahalgam Attack
By Arshad Mehmood / The Media Line
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday that the Trump administration has officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), citing its involvement in the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
In a press release issued Thursday, the US State Department, citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stated that TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.
The statement noted this was the deadliest assault on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by LeT. TRF has also claimed responsibility for several other attacks targeting Indian security forces, including operations in 2024.
“These actions taken by the Department of State demonstrate 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,” Rubio was quoted as saying in the release.
The statement further added that TRF and its associated aliases have now been included under LeT’s designation as an FTO and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group, according to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224.
The Department also reaffirmed the existing FTO designation of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. The amended designations take effect upon publication in the Federal Register.
The April 22 attack in the tourist spot in Indian-controlled Pahalgam claimed the lives of 26 civilians. TRF claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
Following the Pahalgam attack, India blamed Islamabad for harboring TRF members and launched airstrikes across the Line of Control (LoC), targeting what it claimed were terrorist training camps. The retaliation triggered a serious military standoff between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan, marking one of the most dangerous confrontations in South Asia.
Pakistan responded with retaliatory strikes, leading to four days of intense cross-border fire and rising fears of a full-scale war between the longtime nuclear rivals.
With the threat of a broader conflict looming, the intervention of US President Donald Trump was pivotal in deescalating the conflict. Through urgent diplomatic engagement with both capitals, Washington brokered a ceasefire, helping to defuse the crisis.
The LoC is the de facto border dividing Indian and Pakistani-controlled parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Established following the 1972 Simla Agreement, it serves as a military boundary and a frequent flashpoint in the ongoing Kashmir conflict, although it is not officially recognized as an international border.
Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar welcomed the United States’ decision on Friday to designate the TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Pakistan has yet to issue any response to the US decision.
Earlier, Islamabad had condemned the Pahalgam attack and offered to cooperate with India in its investigation into the incident.