U.S. Lists Group Behind Indian Kashmir Killings As Terrorists
8 hours ago
4,821
The United States designated a Muslim militant group a “foreign terrorist organization” over an attack on Indian tourists in the Kashmir region in April in which 26 people were killed, saying the organization was a front for Pakistan-based Islamists who have been battling Indian forces in the disputed Himalayan region for decades.
The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the April 22 attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which ramped up tensions between India and Pakistan and sparked a four-day war between the nuclear-armed rivals in May.
The TRF later disavowed responsibility for the attack on Hindu tourists but U.S. and Indian security organizations dismissed the group’s attempt to shirk responsibility.
Newsweek reached out to Pakistan’s foreign ministry for comment.
An Indian paramilitary soldier on guard on the bank of the Dal lake in Indian Kashmir following an attack on Indian tourists in the region by gunmen on April 24, 2025. The U.S. has designated… An Indian paramilitary soldier on guard on the bank of the Dal lake in Indian Kashmir following an attack on Indian tourists in the region by gunmen on April 24, 2025. The U.S. has designated the group deemed responsible for the attack a terrorist organization.
Yawar Nazir/Getty Images
Why It Matters
The U.S. listing of the group as a “foreign terrorist organization” and “specially designated global terrorist” upholds U.S. opposition to Islamist militancy and demonstrates support for Hindu-majority India as it tries to end a simmering separatist insurgency in Muslim-majority Kashmir, for which it blames Pakistan.
ThePahalgam attack prompted the worst confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, with India attacking what it said were terrorist targets inside Pakistan. Pakistan rejected allegations of cross-border involvement in that or other attacks.
What To Know
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the TRF was a “front and proxy” for the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani group responsible for some of the most deadly attacks in India over the past 20 years. The United States designated it a terrorist group in 2001.
“These actions taken by the Department of State demonstrates 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 a statement.
Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan both claim Kashmir and rule over parts of it. Muslim militants, most of whom call for Indian Kashmir to be ruled by Pakistan, have been battling security forces in the Indian part of Kashmir since the late 1980s.
India accuses Pakistan of supporting the militants. Pakistan denies that but says it supports the people of Kashmir in their quest for self-determination. Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar referred to the perpetrators of the April attack as “freedom fighters”, drawing criticism in India and the U.S.
India welcomed the U.S. designation.
“A strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on the X social media platform.
“Zero tolerance for Terrorism,” he added.
The U.S. decision adds the TRF “and other associated aliases” to the Lashkar-e-Taiba designation as a terrorist group, the State Department said, making it illegal for any U.S. individual or entity to knowingly provide material support. The group’s U.S.-linked assets, if any, are subject to immediate freeze.
The April attack triggered Operation Sindoor on May 7, an Indian military operation targeting what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistani-controlled territory. A ceasefire was brokered on May 10, with Trump publicly claiming a role in the de-escalation.
India has long maintained opposition to any mediation in its dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir and it denied any U.S. role in ending its latest war with its neighbor.
What People Are Saying
Indian government spokesperson: “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.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “These actions taken by the Department of State demonstrates 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.”
What Happens Next
The May 10 ceasefire has held but India has vowed to respond to any new militant attack in its part of Kashmir or anywhere else in India.
Um die besten Erfahrungen zu bieten, verwenden wir Technologien wie Cookies, um Geräteinformationen zu speichern und/oder darauf zuzugreifen. Wenn Sie diesen Technologien zustimmen, können wir Daten wie das Surfverhalten oder eindeutige IDs auf dieser Website verarbeiten. Die Nichteinwilligung oder der Widerruf der Einwilligung kann bestimmte Merkmale und Funktionen beeinträchtigen.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
