US Designates The Resistance Front as Foreign Terrorist Organisation in Blow to Islamabad

Strategic Insights -

The US designation of The Resistance Front (TRF) as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) and specially designated global terrorist (SDGT) has been hailed by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as a "strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation." TRF, a proxy of Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2023, Pahalgam terrorist attack, which killed 26 civilians, making it the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Key Takeaways:

  • The US State Department designated TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) for its involvement in the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which killed 26 civilians.
  • TRF has claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2022.
  • The US decision is seen as a strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation and a shot in the arm for India, strengthening its case against TRF in the UN 1267 sanctions committee.
  • India can now push for relisting Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force's grey list, citing the country's failure to curb terrorism financing.
  • The designation comes after Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar claimed in his country's parliament that Pakistan got the reference to TRF removed from the UN Security Council (UNSC) statement on the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Statistics:

  • 26 civilians killed in the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22, 2023.
  • TRF has claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2022.
  • The Total number of civilian casualties in the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Sources:

  • US State Department statement on designating TRF as FTO and SDGT
  • Indian External Affairs Ministry statement on TRF designation
  • Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar's statement on removing TRF from UNSC statement
  • PTI report on China's reaction to US designation of TRF