External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday welcomed the United States government’s decision to designate The Resistance Front (TRF) as a terrorist organisation.
The US has classified TRF, a known proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). This development comes after TRF claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians, mostly tourists.
In a post on X, Jaishankar wrote:
“A strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation. Appreciate Marco Rubio and US state department for designating TRF—a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy—as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Zero tolerance for Terrorism. #OpSindoor.”
The Indian Embassy in Washington also welcomed the move, stating:
“Appreciate the department of state for listing The Resistance Front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorist. TRF is a proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and claimed responsibility for the April 22 terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam. ZERO TOLERANCE for terrorism!”
The TRF, often described as a front for LeT, has been involved in numerous attacks on Indian security forces and civilians over the past year, according to the US State Department.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said:
“The terrorist designation 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.”
The US government noted that this was the deadliest attack on Indian civilians since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, also perpetrated by LeT.
Operation Sindoor: India’s Response
Following the April 22 attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Indian forces confirmed that over 100 terrorists were neutralised during these cross-border strikes.
In retaliation, Pakistan launched drone and missile attacks, which were repelled by India. The escalation led to a ceasefire request from Pakistan on May 10.
India also undertook a global diplomatic outreach, sending seven multi-party delegations to 33 countries, including the United States, to present evidence of Pakistan’s continued support for terror groups in South Asia.
This move by the US is being seen as a significant victory for India’s global counterterrorism diplomacy, reinforcing its zero-tolerance policy and pushing for stronger international action against groups operating with external state support.