The Resistance Front
Militant group in Jammu and Kashmir, India / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
The Resistance Front | |
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![]() 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 |
Ideology | Kashmiri Nationalism and Separatism |
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 | ![]() |
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]