The Resistance Front | |
---|---|
![]() TRF logo | |
Founders |
Muhammad Abbas Sheikh
†
[1] Sheikh Sajjad Gul [2] |
Patron and Supreme Commander | Sheikh Sajjad Gul [2] |
Current Chief Operational Commander | Basit Ahmed Dar † [3] |
Spokesperson | Ahmed Khalid [4] |
Dates of operation | 2019–present |
Split from |
Hizbul Mujahideen Lashkar-e-Taiba |
Motives | Insurgency against Indian administration of Jammu and Kashmir [5] [6] [7] [8] |
Active regions | Jammu and Kashmir |
Notable attacks | |
Allies |
People's Anti-Fascist Front Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Al-Badr (United Liberation Front) [15] [5] |
Opponents | ![]() |
Battles and wars | Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir |
Designated as a terrorist group by | ![]() |
The Resistance Front (TRF) is a militant organisation actively engaged in insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, and designated as a terrorist organisation in India. [16] Indian government and other experts believe that the organisation was founded by and is an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Jihadist terrorist group. [17] [18] [19] The group is responsible for attacks on and killings of civilians, including those belonging to religious minority communities such as Kashmiri Hindus [20] [21] [22] [19] government employees, [23] labourers and business owners, local politicians, [22] and tourists, [24] as well as for several attacks on Indian security forces [18] including local policemen. [25] [19]
Formed using cadres of Jihadist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen [20] [19] [26] in the aftermath of the 2019 abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, TRF uses non-religious nomenclature and symbolism to project a secular image, [17] but has carried out targeted killings of locals from religious minority communities. [22] [20] [21] The group maintains a significant social media presence, some of which has been traced to Pakistan. [27]
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. [14] [28] The TRF portrays itself as an indigenous Kashmiri resistance movement fighting for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir from India, while the Indian government has accused the TRF of being a frontal organization for Lashkar-e-Taiba. [13] 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. [29] On April 1, 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. [30]
TRF attacks have targeted Kashmiri Pandits, Hindus, Sikhs, as well as Muslims. [29] In these attacks on civilians, LeT and HM did not claim responsibility, only the TRF did. [29] 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. [14]
In 2022, it was responsible for a substantial number of fatalities[ among whom?] in the region. TRF has also been active in recruitment, making it a prominent militant group in Jammu and Kashmir. [13] [14] 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 propaganda. [13] [14]
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] [14]
Pakistan's inclusion on the FATF's "grey list" in 2018 and its subsequent removal raised questions about TRF's emergence. Some[ according to whom?] believe that TRF was strategically created to divert attention from LeT and other terror groups under FATF scrutiny. This move allowed Pakistan to maintain plausible deniability for attacks in India. [13]
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 militant. [54] 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. [14]
The Resistance Front | |
---|---|
![]() TRF logo | |
Founders |
Muhammad Abbas Sheikh
†
[1] Sheikh Sajjad Gul [2] |
Patron and Supreme Commander | Sheikh Sajjad Gul [2] |
Current Chief Operational Commander | Basit Ahmed Dar † [3] |
Spokesperson | Ahmed Khalid [4] |
Dates of operation | 2019–present |
Split from |
Hizbul Mujahideen Lashkar-e-Taiba |
Motives | Insurgency against Indian administration of Jammu and Kashmir [5] [6] [7] [8] |
Active regions | Jammu and Kashmir |
Notable attacks | |
Allies |
People's Anti-Fascist Front Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Al-Badr (United Liberation Front) [15] [5] |
Opponents | ![]() |
Battles and wars | Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir |
Designated as a terrorist group by | ![]() |
The Resistance Front (TRF) is a militant organisation actively engaged in insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, and designated as a terrorist organisation in India. [16] Indian government and other experts believe that the organisation was founded by and is an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Jihadist terrorist group. [17] [18] [19] The group is responsible for attacks on and killings of civilians, including those belonging to religious minority communities such as Kashmiri Hindus [20] [21] [22] [19] government employees, [23] labourers and business owners, local politicians, [22] and tourists, [24] as well as for several attacks on Indian security forces [18] including local policemen. [25] [19]
Formed using cadres of Jihadist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen [20] [19] [26] in the aftermath of the 2019 abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, TRF uses non-religious nomenclature and symbolism to project a secular image, [17] but has carried out targeted killings of locals from religious minority communities. [22] [20] [21] The group maintains a significant social media presence, some of which has been traced to Pakistan. [27]
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. [14] [28] The TRF portrays itself as an indigenous Kashmiri resistance movement fighting for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir from India, while the Indian government has accused the TRF of being a frontal organization for Lashkar-e-Taiba. [13] 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. [29] On April 1, 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. [30]
TRF attacks have targeted Kashmiri Pandits, Hindus, Sikhs, as well as Muslims. [29] In these attacks on civilians, LeT and HM did not claim responsibility, only the TRF did. [29] 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. [14]
In 2022, it was responsible for a substantial number of fatalities[ among whom?] in the region. TRF has also been active in recruitment, making it a prominent militant group in Jammu and Kashmir. [13] [14] 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 propaganda. [13] [14]
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] [14]
Pakistan's inclusion on the FATF's "grey list" in 2018 and its subsequent removal raised questions about TRF's emergence. Some[ according to whom?] believe that TRF was strategically created to divert attention from LeT and other terror groups under FATF scrutiny. This move allowed Pakistan to maintain plausible deniability for attacks in India. [13]
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 militant. [54] 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. [14]