US labels group linked to Kashmir attack as terror outfit
In a statement on Thursday, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the group as a 'front and proxy' for Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which has been separately designated as a terrorist organisation by both the United Nations and Washington.
'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,' Rubio said in the statement.
In April, gunmen had killed as many as 26 people in Pahalgam in the northern Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the worst attacks in years on civilians in the region.
The TRF had initially claimed responsibility for the attack but later retracted, India's top diplomat Vikram Misri told reporters on May 8.
New Delhi accused Islamabad of supporting the group and came close to a full-scale war with its South Asian neighbour in retaliation. Pakistan has denied any links to the Kashmir attacks.
With the US designating the TRF as a terrorist organisation, suspected members and sympathisers are likely to face heightened scrutiny, along with tighter monitoring of the group's financial networks.
The move is seen as a diplomatic win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has faced criticism for failing to persuade key allies – including Washington – to take a firmer stance against Pakistan.
The move by Washington is a 'strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation,' India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on X yesterday. — Bloomberg
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