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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday welcomed the United States' decision to designate as a "Foreign Terrorist Organisation," The Resistance Front (TRF) which is a proxy of Pakistan's Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT) terror group and that has claimed responsiblity for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Jaishankar termed the move by the US Department of State as a "strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation." "Appreciate SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Zero tolerance for terrorism," Jaishankar posted on his social media platform X. https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1946044497642852558?t=8zoGYKIgdkTM1BneszGvfg&s=19 In a statement issued by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio it was acknowledged that TRF, which is a known proxy of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, under US anti-terrorism laws had claimed responsibility for the Pahalagam terror attack. The April 22 attack in the tourist spot in Jammu and Kashmir had claimed the lives of 26 civilians and triggered the four-day military escalation between India and Pakistan. In light of this, the US accorded the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The United States noted this was the deadliest civilian attack in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, also carried out by LeT. The US State Department further stated that TRF has also been involved in multiple attacks on Indian security forces in recent years, including in 2024. The decision, the US government said, underlined the Trump administration's continued commitment to global counter-terrorism. "These actions taken by the Department of State 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," Rubio said in the statement. "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," the statement further added. The Indian embassy in the US said in a statement, "Another demonstration of strong India-USA counter-terrorism cooperation. Appreciate the Department of State for listing The Resistance Front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorist." "TRF is a proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and claimed responsibility for the April 22 terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam. ZERO TOLERANCE for terrorism!" the statement by the Indian embassy in the US further read. Earlier this week, EAM Jaishankar, speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Tianjin, emphasised the importance of taking an uncompromised stance against terrorism, citing the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack, which was condemned by the UN Security Council. Jaishankar highlighted that three evils have taken over the world: "Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism," which he believes often occur together. (ANI)
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