In a move that is being viewed as an endorsement of India’s international counter-terror campaign, the United States on Thursday (July 17, 2025) designated The Resistance Front as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organisation’ and ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’. The TRF, which is backed by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, claimed to be behind the deadly April 22 terror attack that left 26 people dead in Pahalgam.

The Indian government welcomed the U.S. designation of the TRF as a terror group, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar describing the move as “a strong affirmation of India-U.S. counter-terrorism cooperation”. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) added that India’s cooperation with international partners will continue to ensure “that terrorist organisations and their proxies are held accountable”.

“Today, the Department of State is adding The Resistance front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (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,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

Counter-terror cooperation

Mr. Rubio said the decision on the TRF “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.”

Mr. Jaishankar welcomed the decision in a post on X. “A strong affirmation of India-U.S. counter-terrorism cooperation. Appreciate Secretary Rubio and State Department for designating TRF – a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy – as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Zero tolerance for terrorism,” he said.

Diplomatic campaign impact

Following the Pahalgam terror attack, India had started a campaign to bring a global ban on the TRF. The UN Security Council passed a resolution condemning the Pahalgam attack on April 25, but stopped short of naming the TRF. After Indian forces responded with Operation Sindoor, targeting terror facilities and military bases across the border in Pakistan, New Delhi also launched a global diplomatic campaign. Multi-party delegations were sent to various international capitals, while a technical team was sent to New York to present evidence about the Pahalgam terror attack to the Monitoring Team of the 1267 Sanctions Committee that decides on the global listing of terrorist groups. Concerns on terrorism also featured in the July 1 meeting of the Quad’s Foreign Ministers held in Washington DC, where a joint statement “strongly” condemned the Pahalgam attack.

The MEA highlighted India’s international campaign against terrorism and described the designation of TRF as a “timely and important step” that reflects “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 organizations and their proxies are held accountable,” the MEA said in a statement, appreciating Mr. Rubio’s support.