The United States has officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a “foreign terrorist organization” after a deadly assault in Indian-administered Kashmir that claimed 26 lives in April.
In a statement released Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said TRF is a known offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a group already on the US terrorism blacklist, and has claimed responsibility for several attacks on Indian security forces — including the one in the tourist town of Pahalgam.
“These actions taken by the Department of State 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 State Department said in a statement.
TRF initially admitted to the April attack but later backtracked and denied involvement. Still, the damage was done — the massacre marked the deadliest civilian attack in India since the 2008 Mumbai siege, which was also carried out by LeT operatives.
India’s government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was quick to point the finger at Pakistan, accusing its neighbor of sheltering and backing armed groups that routinely carry out attacks on Indian targets. Pakistan has consistently denied the claims.
With input from Al Jazeera
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