NEW DELHI: In a major boost to India’s diplomatic campaign against cross-border terrorism, the United States has formally designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy outfit of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).The announcement was made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio late Thursday, nearly three months after the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed the 26 lives the deadliest attack on Indian soil against civillians since the 26/11 Mumbai carnage.“Today’s designations send a clear message: The United States stands firmly against terrorism in all forms. We are committed to holding perpetrators and their sponsors accountable, wherever they may be,” said Rubio, while invoking Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, key legal tools used by the US to target global terror networks. The Department of State also reiterated Lashkar-e-Taiba’s longstanding status as a designated terrorist organization.TRF, which had initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack before retracting its statement, is believed to be a shadow outfit floated by LeT to mask its operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), have identified TRF commander Sheikh Sajjad Gul as the chief conspirator of the April 22 killings.
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