“When you butcher civilians, you don’t get a pass”: Trump backs TRF terror designation

Washington [US], July 21 (ANI): The US House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority on Saturday said President Donald Trump strongly backed the administration’s decision to designate The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, calling it a deserved move against those responsible for killing civilians in India.

“President Trump calls it like it is. The Resistance Front is a foreign terrorist organisation and deserves the designation. When you butcher civilians, you don’t get a pass–you get JUSTICE," the Committee posted on X.

President Trump calls it like it is. The Resistance Front is a foreign terrorist organization and deserves the designation.

When you butcher civilians, you don’t get a pass—you get JUSTICE. pic.twitter.com/herLQe8gas

— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) July 19, 2025

The Resistance Front, a proxy group of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam area that killed 26 civilians. The attack also triggered a four-day military escalation between India and Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar welcomed the move, calling it a strong step in the global fight against terrorism. He said the action reflected growing 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.

In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the decision to designate TRF under US anti-terrorism laws was based on its direct involvement in the Pahalgam attack and its known links with LeT.

The United States noted that the Pahalgam incident was the deadliest civilian attack in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which were also carried out by LeT. The US State Department further stated that TRF has been involved in multiple attacks on Indian security forces, including in 2024.

The move, the US government said, reinforced the Trump administration’s long-standing commitment to global counter-terrorism and signalled a message that terrorist proxies will not be spared. (ANI)

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