US Designates TRF as Global Terrorist Group, Reinforcing Trump’s Demand for Justice in Pahalgam Attack

New York – In a major diplomatic win for India, the United States has officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a global terrorist organization, following up on former President Donald Trump’s call for justice in the wake of the deadly Pahalgam attack.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation on Thursday, stating that the move underscores the Trump administration’s firm stance on national security, counterterrorism, and its commitment to supporting India in bringing the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack to justice.

Rubio confirmed that TRF has been added to both the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list and the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list.

“TRF, a known front and proxy for Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians,” Rubio said in his statement.
“This was the deadliest civilian attack in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by LeT,” he added.

Following the Pahalgam massacre, Trump had personally called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the attack and offered full support to bring the assailants to justice, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had raised concerns over the TRF during his recent meetings with Secretary Rubio and at the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting in Washington.

The TRF operates as a proxy for Pakistan-based LeT, which is known to enjoy official backing. In the wake of the April attack, India responded with Operation Sindoor, targeting LeT bases across the border in Pakistan.

Rubio also noted that the TRF had claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Indian security forces, including several incidents in 2024.
In October last year, TRF militants killed six laborers working on a tunnel near Sonamarg and a doctor, while also injuring five others at a nearby workers’ camp.

The U.S. has a long-standing concern about LeT and its affiliates, especially because six Americans were among the nearly 170 people killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The SDGT designation freezes the group’s assets and cuts off its access to global financial systems, while the FTO label imposes travel bans and other sanctions on its members.

An all-party Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, had earlier met with U.S. lawmakers and officials to highlight the threat posed by the TRF and its role in cross-border terrorism.

With inputs from IANS