US designation of TRF’s ‘timely and important’ step: India

India welcomed the US naming The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy, as a global terrorist group after the deadly Pahalgam attack. The move shows strong India-US counter-terror cooperation and a united stance against terrorism

New Delhi: India on Friday welcomed the US designating The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, a global terrorist outfit, over the Pahalgam attack, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar describing it as a “strong affirmation” of India-US counter-terror cooperation.

New Delhi said the designation of TRF is a “timely and important” step and asserted that it has consistently emphasised the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

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India’s reaction came hours after the US State Department announced adding the TRF as a “designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)” and cited its claim taking responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India remains committed to a “policy of zero tolerance” towards terrorism and will continue to work closely with its international partners to ensure that terrorist organisations and their proxies are held accountable.

In a social media post, Jaishankar specially complimented US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for designating the LeT proxy. “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 April 22 Pahalgam attack,” he said.

The MEA said India welcomes the decision of the US State Department to designate TRF as an FTO and SDGT. The TRF, a “proxy” of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation LeT, has been involved in numerous terror-related activities, including the heinous attack on civilians in Pahalgam for which it twice claimed responsibility, it said.

“India has consistently emphasised the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the dismantling of terror infrastructure,” the MEA said in a statement. It said the designation of TRF is a “timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counter-terrorism”.

“India remains committed to a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and will continue to work closely with its international partners to ensure that terrorist organisations and their proxies are held accountable,” the statement added.

The US State Department also noted that TRF claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. “This was the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks conducted by LeT,” it said.

“TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024.” The State Department said its actions 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”.