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Pahalgam terror attack: US designates Lashkar's proxy TRF as 'Foreign Terrorist Organisation'

Pahalgam terror attack: US designates Lashkar's proxy TRF as 'Foreign Terrorist Organisation'

New Indian Express11 hours ago
WASHINGTON: US Department of State on Thursday (local time) designated The Resistance Front (TRF), group behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, as a terrorist organisation.
In a statement issued by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the statement acknowledged the fact that the organisation claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir which claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
The US, therefore, accorded the TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
"Today, the Department of State is adding The Resistance Front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians. This was the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks conducted by LeT. TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024," the statement read.
The statement said that this action demonstrated the US President Donald Trump administration's commitment of countering terrorism.
"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 statement said.
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Pahalgam's villain TRF added to US terror list, Pakistan isolated at global level; what is the role played by Jaishankar and Tharoor?
Pahalgam's villain TRF added to US terror list, Pakistan isolated at global level; what is the role played by Jaishankar and Tharoor?

India.com

time26 minutes ago

  • India.com

Pahalgam's villain TRF added to US terror list, Pakistan isolated at global level; what is the role played by Jaishankar and Tharoor?

New Delhi: Almost 3 months after the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, terrorist organization The Resistance Front (TRF) has been put in the list of global terrorist organizations by the US. In this attack on 22 April 2025, the terrorists of The Resistance Front massacred 27 people. TRF is the new avatar of Pakistan's notorious terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. This organization had taken responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. What did Jaishankar and Tharoor do? Now the US Department of Home Affairs has included TRF in the list of Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). This move of America is a diplomatic victory for India. In this, the role of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who went to America on an outreach mission on behalf of India, was important. It is worth noting that after the Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor and carried out fierce targeted counterattacks on Pakistan. After this, Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir did a lot of lobbying in Pakistan. He kept distancing Pakistan from this attack and kept talking about an independent and impartial investigation. How did India turn things in its favour? India's diplomacy forced America to accept that TRF is a terrorist organization. After the Pahalgam attack, India adopted a strategy to isolate Pakistan on the global platform. For this, India sent its delegations to West Asia, America, Russia and Europe and exposed Pakistan's misdeeds. After the Pahalgam attack, India took this issue to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Here India provided evidence of TRF's involvement in the Pahalgam attack, documents related to TRF's leaders, funding source and network. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar accused Pakistan of making terrorism a part of state policy and appealed to the international community to take it seriously. The result of his diplomacy was that many member countries of the United Nations supported the demand for giving severe punishment to the culprits of the Pahalgam attack. The Foreign Minister made it clear that India-Pakistan tension is not only a bilateral issue, but a question of global security. He held bilateral talks with the US Secretary of State and the US State Department and strongly put forward India's case for listing TRF as a terrorist organization. What was Shashi Tharoor's role in the US? Shashi Tharoor drew the attention of America and the international community towards the threat of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and the activities of TRF. Tharoor especially targeted the China-Pakistan alliance in America. Tharoor said that China had tried to remove the name of TRF, which was involved in the Pahalgam attack, from the United Nations resolution. He raised the same issue in Brazil and said that China is constantly protecting Pakistani terrorists. He reminded America about Osama bin Laden hiding in Pakistan so that the US administration and Trump could also be made aware of Pakistan's double policy. His effective lobbying inspired American policymakers to support India's anti-terrorism stance. Getting the TRF in the US terrorist list was a diplomatic victory for India in which Jaishankar's firm strategy and Tharoor's effective advocacy on international fora played an important role. This move proved helpful in isolating Pakistan at the global level.

US designation of TRF timely and important step: India
US designation of TRF timely and important step: India

News18

time26 minutes ago

  • News18

US designation of TRF timely and important step: India

Agency: PTI New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) 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. 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". PTI MPB MIN MIN view comments First Published: July 18, 2025, 14:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

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Trump ends DEI initiative, US shareholders defy Maga push to keep diversity reforms alive

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