India’s MEA welcome decision of US State Department to designate TRF as Foreign Terrorist Organization

(Forelines) – The U.S. Department of State’s classification of The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) is welcomed by the Indian government. In this context, we recognize and value Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio’s leadership, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Both India and the United States have classified the Resistance Front (TRF), an Islamist terrorist group with its main office in Pakistan and a significant role in the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, as a terrorist organization. The gang is accountable for multiple attacks against Indian armed and police personnel, as well as attacks and killings of civilians, including members of religious minority groups including Kashmiri Hindus, government workers, laborers and business owners, local politicians, and tourists.

The group is believed to be a division of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist organization banned by the UN with its main office located in Pakistan. After Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was revoked in 2019, members of the militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen formed the TRF, which employs secular symbols and non-religious names to present a secular image, but it has killed members of religious minority communities on a targeted basis. Indian media attributes some of the group’s substantial social media presence to Pakistan.

The horrific attack on people in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, for which the TRF twice claimed responsibility, is just one of the many terror-related actions in which the group has been implicated.

“India has consistently emphasized the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the dismantling of terror infrastructure. The designation of TRF is a timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counter-terrorism,” India’s MEA said.

“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,” India’s MEA added.