US designates group blamed for Kashmir attack as 'terrorists'

The United States on Thursday designated as “terrorists” a shadowy group blamed for an April attack in India-administered Kashmir, which triggered the worst conflict between India and Pakistan in decades.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio described The Resistance Front (TRF) as a "front and proxy" of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated “terrorist” group".

The “terrorist” designation "demonstrates the Trump administration's commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President (Donald) Trump's call for justice for the Pahalgam attack," Rubio said in a statement.

Gunmen in April shot dead 26 people, almost all Hindus, in Pahalgam, a tourist hub in the India-administered side of disputed Kashmir.

Strong affirmation

India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Friday said that Washington's action was a "strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation", writing on X.

Little had been previously known about TRF, which initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.

But as public criticism mounted over the killings, the group retracted its claim.

The Pahalgam violence sparked four days of fighting between the two neighbours that killed more than 70 people on both sides, in the worst standoff between the foes since 1999.

Pakistan shot down multiple Indian jets, including Rafales, during the skirmish.

Kashmir dispute

Rebels in India-administered Kashmir have been fighting against New Delhi's rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support their goal of liberating the region — either by merging with Pakistan or by establishing an independent state.

India insists the Kashmir rebellion is "Pakistan-sponsored terrorism". Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

Pakistan states that it only supports the demand of Kashmiris for a UN-sponsored plebiscite in the region "politically, morally and diplomatically."

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Source: TRT