US declares TRF a terrorist group: Major diplomatic win for India after Pahalgam attack

The United States, on 18 July, declared The Resistance Front (TRF) a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), marking a sharp escalation in international action against Pakistan-backed proxy outfits operating in Kashmir.

India, which had long pushed for international recognition of TRF’s role in terror activities, welcomed the announcement, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar calling it “a strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation”.

The legal muscle behind the move

The US State Department's announcement invokes Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, both of which allow Washington to:

• criminalise material support to designated groups
• freeze their assets
• block the entry of their members into the US 

This legal classification places TRF in the same bracket as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) — the last of which is TRF’s parent organisation. The designations will formally come into effect once published in the Federal Register.

By folding TRF into LeT’s existing FTO and SDGT status, the US has signalled that it sees no daylight between the two groups, regardless of naming gimmicks.

What is TRF and why is it dangerous?

The Resistance Front emerged in 2019, almost as a rebranded avatar of Lashkar-e-Taiba, intended to give Pakistan-based jihadists plausible deniability while operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

TRF has used social media to claim responsibility for a string of attacks — the most devastating being the Pahalgam terror strike on 22 April 2025, in which 26 civilians, including 25 Indian tourists and a Nepali citizen, were killed. It was India’s deadliest civilian attack since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, also carried out by LeT.

Interestingly, TRF later retracted its claim of responsibility — a move seen by analysts as a sign of internal disarray or an attempt to avoid international backlash.

The outfit has also targeted Indian security forces, with attacks recorded as recently as 2024.

Why the timing matters

The Pahalgam attack, described as a "watershed moment" in Indian counter-terrorism circles, appears to have directly influenced the American decision. US officials stopped short of citing it as the trigger, but the announcement comes less than three months after the massacre, and only weeks after India stepped up its lobbying with Washington.

For the Biden administration, facing growing scrutiny over its South Asia policy and counter-terror commitments, the TRF designation offers a way to project strength without boots on the ground.

It also aligns with the administration’s broader strategy of tightening the noose around proxy outfits linked to LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed — both of which operate freely out of Pakistan.

India’s reaction: Warmth and warning

The Indian government lost no time in praising the move. Minister Jaishankar posted on X, calling it an example of “global solidarity” against terrorism.

A Ministry of External Affairs statement echoed the sentiment, reaffirming India's zero-tolerance stance and its intent to work with "like-minded countries" to bring terrorists and their sponsors to justice.

The message is clear: India sees this as a diplomatic victory, not just a security one.

What about Pakistan?

While the US statement does not name Pakistan directly, the link between TRF and LeT makes Islamabad’s role impossible to ignore. For years, Pakistan has denied harbouring or supporting terror proxies, even as individuals like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar remain on international watchlists while living in plain sight.

Islamabad has not responded officially to the TRF designation at the time of publication. But diplomatic observers say tensions are likely to rise, especially if more nations follow the US lead.

Implications for global counter-terrorism

With this move, Washington has not only shut down potential funding and support channels for TRF but has also laid the groundwork for international coordination. The designation is expected to trigger asset freezes, travel bans, and intelligence-sharing mechanisms.

India hopes that other key players, such as the UK, France, and the UN Security Council, will now take similar action.

The road ahead: Expect more shadow games

Terror groups have a long history of morphing and renaming themselves to escape scrutiny — TRF being a prime example. While this designation tightens the net, analysts warn that new aliases could emerge. 

The effectiveness of these sanctions will depend on how robustly they are enforced — and whether Pakistan cooperates in dismantling the support networks that allow these outfits to thrive.

By designating The Resistance Front a terrorist organisation, the United States has sent an unambiguous message to terror sponsors and sympathisers alike: changing names won’t help you escape justice.

For India, it is a long-overdue acknowledgement of what it has maintained for years — that terrorism in Kashmir is not home-grown but cross-border, with well-oiled networks of finance, recruitment, and propaganda. 

This move may not end TRF’s activities overnight, but it narrows the space in which such groups can operate. And it marks a milestone in global efforts to push back against South Asia’s shadowy web of proxy terror.