U.S. Lists Group Behind Indian Kashmir Killings As Terrorists
The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the April 22 attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which ramped up tensions between India and Pakistan and sparked a four-day war between the nuclear-armed rivals in May.
The TRF later disavowed responsibility for the attack on Hindu tourists but U.S. and Indian security organizations dismissed the group's attempt to shirk responsibility.
Newsweek reached out to Pakistan's foreign ministry for comment.
The U.S. listing of the group as a "foreign terrorist organization" and "specially designated global terrorist" upholds U.S. opposition to Islamist militancy and demonstrates support for Hindu-majority India as it tries to end a simmering separatist insurgency in Muslim-majority Kashmir, for which it blames Pakistan.
ThePahalgam attack prompted the worst confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, with India attacking what it said were terrorist targets inside Pakistan. Pakistan rejected allegations of cross-border involvement in that or other attacks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the TRF was a "front and proxy" for the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani group responsible for some of the most deadly attacks in India over the past 20 years. The United States designated it a terrorist group in 2001.
"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 a statement.
Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan both claim Kashmir and rule over parts of it. Muslim militants, most of whom call for Indian Kashmir to be ruled by Pakistan, have been battling security forces in the Indian part of Kashmir since the late 1980s.
India accuses Pakistan of supporting the militants. Pakistan denies that but says it supports the people of Kashmir in their quest for self-determination. Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar referred to the perpetrators of the April attack as "freedom fighters", drawing criticism in India and the U.S.
India welcomed the U.S. designation.
"A strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on the X social media platform.
"Zero tolerance for Terrorism," he added.
The U.S. decision adds the TRF "and other associated aliases" to the Lashkar-e-Taiba designation as a terrorist group, the State Department said, making it illegal for any U.S. individual or entity to knowingly provide material support. The group's U.S.-linked assets, if any, are subject to immediate freeze.
The April attack triggered Operation Sindoor on May 7, an Indian military operation targeting what it described as "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistani-controlled territory. A ceasefire was brokered on May 10, with Trump publicly claiming a role in the de-escalation.
India has long maintained opposition to any mediation in its dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir and it denied any U.S. role in ending its latest war with its neighbor.
Indian government spokesperson: "India has consistently emphasized the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the dismantling of terror infrastructure. The designation of TRF is a timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counter-terrorism."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "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 May 10 ceasefire has held but India has vowed to respond to any new militant attack in its part of Kashmir or anywhere else in India.
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