The TRF Terror Group Exposed: From 2019 Origins to the Pahalgam Massacre

The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar proxy, uses local youth and encrypted platforms for hybrid terror. Targets minorities, tourists, and security forces. Banned by India, US & UN, its network spans 8 Kashmir districts with 131+ operatives neutralized since 2019.

New Delhi: Two months after the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, a new terrorist organization, The Resistance Front (TRF), entered in October 2019. At first it was presented as an indigenous Kashmiri resistance movement, but it soon became clear that it was a new proxy group of Lashkar-e-Taiba, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

Its purpose was to show Pakistan as separate from terrorist activities on international forums and help in getting it out of the FATF gray list. However, now TRF has been declared an official terrorist organization by both India and the US.

Starting from digital platforms, part of online terror

TRF's first presence was seen on encrypted platforms like Telegram. Its spokesperson is Ahmed Khalid, and the command is in the hands of radicals like Sajjad Gul, Saifullah Sajjad Jatt, and Abu Saad, who are directly associated with Lashkar.

TRF's strategy: hybrid jihad and local network

TRF works on guerrilla tactics and hybrid terrorism instead of suicide attacks. It uses local youth and Overground Workers (OGWs) to prepare attackers who have no terrorist record. This makes it difficult for security agencies to identify them. TRF also tries to influence global youth by giving online threats in English.

Target: Minorities, leaders, employees, and tourists

TRF targets Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs, Hindu leaders, non-Kashmiri laborers, and even tourists.

22 April 2025, Pahalgam: 26 people killed, including a Nepali national.

9 June 2024, Reasi: Pilgrim bus attacked, 9 killed, 43 injured.

Ganderbal and the 2021 target killings further highlight the brutality of TRF.

Globally banned

India banned TRF under UAPA in January 2023, and the US added it to the Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list in July 2025. The United Nations has placed it among banned organizations, considering it a part of Lashkar.

TRF activities and network

So far, more than 131 terrorists associated with TRF have either been arrested or killed in encounters. Its network is spread across Srinagar, Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam, Baramulla, Bandipora, and Ganderbal.