"Strong Affirmation...": India Hails US Designation Of The Resistance Front As Foreign Terrorist
New Delhi: The United States on Friday declared The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-based shadow terror outfit linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
The designation comes months after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that gunned down 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, for which the outfit claimed responsibility.
In an official statement, the US State Department pointed out that TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians. “This 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 statement added that the action shows the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting its national security interests and countering terrorism.
The External Affairs Ministry of India acknowledged the effort in a statement and appreciated the leadership of Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio in this regard.
“The TRF, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), has been involved in numerous terror-related activities, including the heinous attack on civilians in Pahalgam,” the ministry highlighted.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a social media post, called the development a “strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation”.
A strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.
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…
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 18, 2025
The development comes after India’s global outreach on Operation Sindoor ended last month. However, India called the designation of TRF “a timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counter-terrorism,” while emphasising the need for global cooperation against ismantling of terror infrastructure.
