The United States designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a foreign terrorist organisation.
The TRF had claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 that had killed 26 people.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a detailed statement in this regard on July 17. Read full statement here:
“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.
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.
TRF and other associated aliases have been added to LeT’s designation as a FTO and SDGT pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, respectively. The Department of State has also reviewed and maintained the FTO designation of LeT. Amendments to FTO designations go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register.”
What is TRF?
The Resistance Front, also known as Kashmir Resistance, initially took responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack before denying it days later, Reuters reported. Twenty-six people were killed in the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
India’s National Investigation Agency has identified TRF head Sheikh Sajjad Gul as the mastermind of the attack, news agency PTI reported.
TRF is said to be an offshoot of Pakistan based-Lashkar-e-Taiba. Rubio called TRF, which emerged in 2019, a “front and proxy” for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, listed as a “foreign terrorist organization” by the United States, is an Islamist group accused of plotting attacks in India and in the West, including the three-day deadly assault on Mumbai in November 2008.