US Lists The Resistance Front as Foreign Terrorist Organization

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As an FTO and SDGT, TRF will now face asset freezes, visa restrictions, and criminal penalties for those providing support.

TRH Global Affairs Desk

NEW DELHI, July 18, 2025 — The United States on Thursday formally designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-based terror proxy, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) following its alleged involvement in the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead, the deadliest such incident in India since the 2008 Mumbai carnage.

In an official statement, the US State Department said TRF—a known front for the UN-designated terror group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT)—has also been responsible for multiple attacks on Indian security forces in recent years. The department said the decision reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to counter terrorism, enforce accountability for attacks on civilians, and uphold justice for victims of the Pahalgam massacre.

“These actions demonstrate 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,” the State Department noted.

The US has added TRF and its aliases to LeT’s existing designations under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, with amendments set to take effect following their publication in the Federal Register.

Backdrop: Pahalgam Attack and TRF’s Role

On April 22, 2025, heavily armed terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists and local civilians near Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in the Indian union territory of Jammu & Kashmir. They killed 26 and injured dozens in what Indian authorities described as a calculated assault on non-combatants aimed at disrupting communal harmony and economic activity in the region.

The TRF swiftly claimed responsibility through encrypted online channels. Indian security agencies have since alleged that the group operated under direct orders from LeT commanders based in Pakistan, using sophisticated logistics networks and radicalized local recruits.

TRF, believed to have emerged in 2019, has been accused by Indian intelligence of acting as a “hybrid militant outfit”—a strategy designed to deflect global scrutiny from Pakistan-based terror organizations by giving operations a more “indigenous” appearance.

Global Momentum Against Terror Networks

The US designation comes just weeks after the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where the United States, India, Japan, and Australia issued a strong joint statement condemning terrorism in all forms. The statement underscored the urgent need to hold accountable those who provide safe havens, financing, and ideological support to terror groups—without naming Pakistan, but widely interpreted as a veiled reference.

The Quad declaration also specifically noted the role of emerging terror proxies and emphasized increased cooperation on intelligence sharing, cyber monitoring, and counter-extremism operations.

LeT’s Global Legacy of Violence

Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, founded in the 1990s and long considered a key asset of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is already designated as an FTO and SDGT by the US and many other countries. Its most infamous attack remains the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 people, including Americans.

With the TRF’s growing footprint, US officials say the LeT has simply adapted its methods—outsourcing violence through satellite outfits to evade detection and global censure.

As an FTO and SDGT, TRF will now face asset freezes, visa restrictions, and criminal penalties for those providing support. Financial institutions will be required to block any transactions linked to the group, and foreign entities associated with TRF may also face secondary sanctions.

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