The Resistance Front

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The Resistance Front
Founder Muhammad Abbas Sheikh   [1]
Sheikh Sajjad Gul [2]
Patron and Supreme Commander Sheikh Sajjad Gul [2]
Current Chief Operational Commander Basit Ahmed Dar   [3]
SpokespersonAhmed Khalid [4]
Dates of operation2019–present
MotivesInsurgency against Indian administration of Jammu and Kashmir [5] [6] [7] [8]
Active regions Jammu and Kashmir
Notable attacks
Part of Lashkar-e-Taiba [15] [16] [17]
Allies People's Anti-Fascist Front
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front
Al-Badr (United Liberation Front) [5]
OpponentsFlag of India.svg India
Battles and wars Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir [18]
Designated as a terrorist group byFlag of India.svg  India
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States [19]

The Resistance Front (TRF) is a Pakistani Islamist militant organisation actively engaged in the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, and designated as a terrorist organization by India and the United States. [20] [21] The group is responsible for attacks on and killings of civilians, including those from religious minority communities such as Kashmiri Hindus, [22] [23] [24] government employees, [25] labourers and business owners, local politicians, [24] and tourists, [26] as well as for several attacks on Indian armed and police forces. [27] [28]

Contents

The organisation is believed to be an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, [15] [16] [17] [29] [30] [31] [14] [32] a Pakistan-based UN-designated terrorist group. [33] Formed using cadres of militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen in the aftermath of the 2019 abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, [29] [22] [34] TRF uses non-religious nomenclature and symbolism to project a secular image, [35] but has carried out targeted killings of locals from religious minority communities. [36] The group maintains a significant social media presence, some of which Indian media traces to Pakistan. [37] [29]

Origins

The Resistance Front was founded in October 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370 and the revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian government in August 2019. [13] [38] The TRF portrays itself as an indigenous Kashmiri resistance movement fighting for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir from India, though it is generally believed to be a frontal organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) based in Pakistan. [16] Indian experts allege that the TRF was strategically created to divert attention from LeT and other militant groups under Financial Action Task Force (FATF) scrutiny, to maintain plausible deniability for attacks in India after Pakistan's inclusion on the FATF's "grey list" in 2018. [39] [29]

The TRF has been noted for using non-religious symbolism, with logos, statements, and attack rationale all being distinct from past Islamist Kashmiri insurgents such as Hizbul Mujahideen, to project a secular image, while continuing to attack religious minorities. [40]

On 1 April 2020, the TRF gained prominence after a four-day gun battle near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara's Keran Sector, during which five Indian paracommandos and five TRF militants were killed. [41]

Activities

TRF attacks have particularly targeted religious minorities in Jammu and Kashmir including Kashmiri Pandits, Hindus and Sikhs. [36] In these attacks on civilians, LeT and HM did not claim responsibility, only the TRF did. [40] TRF has been accused by the Indian government of links to various activities, including planning attacks on security forces and civilians, coordinating the transportation of weapons for proscribed militant groups, recruitment of militants, infiltration across borders, and smuggling of weapons and narcotics. [13]

TRF has been active in recruitment, making it a prominent militant group in Jammu and Kashmir. [13] The TRF has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir against Indian forces and it has made use of social media videos and posters to spread its views. [13]

Notably, TRF claimed responsibility for an attack on security officers in the Anantnag district using the guerilla warfare strategy, citing it as an "act of revenge" for the killing of their leader, commander Riyaz Ahmed, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. [13]

The Resistance Front initially took responsibility for the 2025 Pahalgam attack on tourists in Kashmir, marking the deadliest such incident in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. In response, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, intensified tensions by saying that the assailants "might be freedom fighters." [42] [43]

Notable incidents

Ban and designation

In January 2023, TRF was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by the Indian government. This action designated its leader, Sheikh Sajjad Gul, as a terrorist. [69] The ban was imposed due to the Indian government's suspicions of TRF's involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari in June 2018. [13]

On 14 May 2025, an Indian delegation met senior officials from the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) in New York to advocate for The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), to be listed as a UN-designated terrorist organization. The meeting took place after the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people were killed and was claimed by TRF. The Indian delegation also met with the Monitoring Team of the UN Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee, presenting evidence of TRF’s links to Lashkar-e-Taiba and its involvement in cross-border terrorism. [70] [71]

On 17 July 2025, the United States Department of State designated The Resistance Front as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The State Department described TRF as a front and proxy for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and noted that it had claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam attack, the deadliest assault on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The statement also highlighted that TRF has claimed multiple other attacks against Indian security forces, including in 2024, and said the designation reflects the U.S. administration’s commitment to countering terrorism and pursuing justice for the victims of the Pahalgam attack. [72]

In July 2025, The Resistance Front issued a statement rejecting its designation as a terrorist group by the United States, calling it politically motivated and influenced by India. Just hours earlier, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had publicly criticized the U.S. decision. Intelligence sources continue to identify TRF as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan’s defense of TRF has drawn criticism for backing a group linked to multiple terror attacks. [73]

See also

References

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