The United States has designated The Resistance Front, a proxy of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba that was behind the Pahalgam attack, as a foreign terrorist organisation.
In a statement issued by the US department of state , Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this action demonstrates the US’ commitment to enforcing President Donald Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack.
India welcomed the US move and described Washington’s decision on The Resistance Front (TRF) as a “strong affirmation” of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.
In a social media post, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar specially complimented US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for designating the proxy of Pakistan-based LeT.
“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,” the external affairs minister said.
Twenty-six people were killed in the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack, but later backtracked as tensions soared between India and Pakistan.
India’s National Investigation Agency has identified TRF head Sheikh Sajjad Gul as the mastermind of the attack.
