The United States has designated The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a terror group following an April attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 people dead.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that TRF has a history of deadly attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai siege. TRF initially claimed responsibility for the assault in the resort town of Pahalgam, though it later denied involvement.
Rubio said the designation demonstrates President Donald Trump’s commitment to national security and to holding perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack accountable. The US State Department statement added that the move aligns with the Trump administration’s broader counterterrorism agenda.
The Indian government quickly blamed Pakistan for backing the group, renewing longstanding accusations of Islamabad’s support for militant outfits operating in Kashmir.
Hence, tensions between the two countries spiked after the attack, leading to a brief escalation before both sides agreed to a truce. President Trump claimed credit for mediating the ceasefire, a claim India has denied.
Indian authorities described the Pahalgam incident as the deadliest attack on civilians since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed over 160 people. Human rights observers have long pointed to India’s heavy-handed security presence and reported abuses in Kashmir as key drivers of unrest in the region, where TRF and similar groups have gained traction.
Notably, Kashmir remains the only Muslim-majority region under Indian control and a longstanding flashpoint between India and Pakistan.