Big Setback For Pakistan As US Designates Lashkar Proxy Behind Pahalgam Terror Attack As Terrorist Organisation

In a big setback for Pakistan, the United States has officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), nearly four months after the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

In the 22 April Pahalgam attack, Pakistan-backed terrorists brutally shot dead 26 people, mostly tourists, in front of their families in the deadliest terror incident in India in over a decade.

In a statement on Thursday (17 July), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that TRF has been added to the US list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).

Rubio emphasised that the designation highlights the United States’ commitment to national security and its determination to seek justice for the victims of the Pahalgam attack.

"Today, the Department of State is adding The Resistance Front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)," Rubio said.

"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," Rubio added.

Rubio said that TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024.

"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.

Rubio said that TRF and its associated aliases have now been officially added to Lashkar-e-Taiba's designation as both FTO and SDGT, under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, respectively. The designation amendments will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register.

This comes as after the attack, the Pakistan government, with the backing of China, successfully lobbied against any mention of TRF from an UN Security Council statement condemning the brutal terror attack in India.

Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the UNSC while China is a permanent member.

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