The United States has officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) following the deadly militant attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region on April 22. The attack claimed the lives of 26 men and escalated tensions between India and Pakistan.
Announcing the decision, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that TRF initially claimed responsibility for the assault but later retracted its statement. TRF, also referred to as Kashmir Resistance, has now been listed both as an FTO and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity by Washington. The designations freeze TRF’s US-based assets and prohibit any American individual or entity from supporting the group, effectively isolating it financially.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, TRF’s parent organization, is notorious for orchestrating multiple attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and has long been on the US terror list. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, TRF operates as a front and proxy for LeT, having emerged in 2019 as part of a broader strategy to mask LeT’s operations under new names.
India welcomed the US move, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar calling it a “strong affirmation of India-US counterterrorism cooperation.” On the other hand, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry responded by claiming it condemns all forms of terrorism and insisted that LeT is a “defunct organization” banned within Pakistan.
The April 22 incident triggered a severe military confrontation between India and Pakistan. Following the attack, Indian jets targeted suspected terrorist camps across the border on May 7, prompting retaliatory strikes that lasted until a ceasefire was brokered on May 10. Though former President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire on social media, India maintained that the resolution was achieved through bilateral talks without external mediation.
Analysts view the US designation of TRF as a move that aligns Washington closer to India’s counterterrorism stance, especially after recent diplomatic strains. Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert, noted that this could reinvigorate India-US relations at a time when both nations are navigating complex ties with China and Pakistan.
