Rise of TRF: Wise news is now a global terrorist threat inside Lashkar Proxy

Last update:July 18, 2025, 12:35 IST

The US has named TRF a foreign terrorist organization, which lends weight for India’s long-standing claim that it is a Lashkar-e-Tabiba proxy who is working under a new name.

In a major development that limits international consensus on emerging terrorist networks in South Asia, the United States nominated on Friday Resistance front (TRF) Foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and a specially designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) unit. The move, announced by US State Secretary Marco Rubio, came after less than three months of the brutal Pahgam massacre in Jammu and Kashmir, claiming the lives of 26 people, which is one of the most deadly civil-targeted attacks in the region in recent years.

Indian security agencies have consistently stated that TRF is a proxy for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (late), which is designed to mask terrorist operation behind a secular name and avoid international investigation.

Marco Rubio said in a statement, “These actions done by the state department demonstrate the commitment of the Trump administration to protect our national security interests, combat terrorism and implement President Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack.”

India welcomed the move as a powerful confirmation of the growing Indo-US anti-terrorism cooperation. Appreciate @Secrubio and @Statedept to nominate TRF-A Lashkar-e-Tayiba (Let) Proxy-A Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and specially designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

But the global spotlight on TRF now raises a deep question: what is this dress? How did it emerge so soon? And why has it become a major player in the militant landscape of Kashmir?

Strategic rebranding

Resistance Front (TRF) first emerged in Kashmir in October 2019, two months after the end of Article 370. Its sudden appearance attracted immediate attention from Indian security agencies, who saw the group as part of a strategic rebranding effort by Pakistan-based organizations to deflete the international inquiry.

The TRF removed itself from the traditional jihadi language and adopted the vocabulary of political resistance-a change that formed an attempt to project Pakistan’s Kashmir struggle as Swadeshi instead of crossing the Kashmir struggle. While the group presented itself as secular and grassroots levels, officials say its operation, funding and coordination bored Lashkar-e-Tabiba’s infallible impression.

“This is originally a front of Late. These are groups that have been formed in previous years, especially when Pakistan was under pressure from the Financial Action Task Force and they were trying to create a pattern to refuse that they were involved in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir,” Ajai Sahni, according to the headlines of the South Asia Terrorsmm portal, said that he said, said that he said that he said that he said that Aji Sahni, ” Roots,

The time of TRF’s emergence and framing was with increased pressure on Pakistan from the Financial Action Task Force, which placed the country in its gray list on terrorist financing concerns. Indian agencies evaluated that the new organization served as a cover, allowing it to continue its operation under a neutral-dhwani name in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pattern of attacks

The operation footprint of the resistance front in Kashmir is marked by calculating, targeted violence – its purpose is not only to harm, but also to reduce the civil order and reduce political confidence. Since its emergence in late 2019, the group has either claimed or claimed responsibility for attacks on a wide range of goals: off-duty security personnel, elected panchayat officers, migrant workers and citizens. According to security officials, these attacks are not random, but part of a major strategy to destabilize governance and prevent participation in democratic processes.

One such incident occurred in March 2022, when TRF claimed the responsibility of killing Sarpanch Shabir Ahmed Mir in Kulgam – an area that recently saw an increase in voter voting in local elections.

In presenting the Parliament in 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that TRF was involved in plans and execution of attacks on both citizens and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. The group said that the ministry said, in the coordination of terrorist recruitment, and also played a role in cross -border smuggling of weapons and narcotics.

Beyond these high-profile murders, TRF has also claimed responsibility for ambush on joint police-army patrolling. A similar attack took place in Chanapora area of Srinagar, resulting in two personnel killed. Intelligence officials told Roots TRF was also releasing online threats against India-supportive groups for the last two years.

Safety assessment indicates that TRF’s targeting patterns closely align Pakistan’s closer objectives in the area. For example, attacks on migrant workers are seen as efforts to disrupt demographic generalization. The purpose of the killings of elected representatives is to weaken the governance at the ground level. And patrolling and attacks on military convoy often coincide with high-level diplomatic busyness, which enhance their psychological and political influence.

While TRF describes its functions as resistance, security agencies say that the option of group goals reflects a intentional effort to destabilize the civil order and governance in the area.

Pahalgam massacre: The Flashpoint

There was a massacre of 22 April in Pahgam. On that day, five gunmen set a group of tourists on fire in the Basaron Valley. The attack lasted for less than fifteen minutes, but 26 innocent civilians died. Many others were injured.

According to eyewitnesses and officials, the attackers appeared selecting their goals on the basis of religion. Some victims were asked about their origin or name before being shot. The survivor testimony confirmed that the terrorists asked the victims to identify their religion and demanded the Hindus to recite Kalima; People who could not shoot on the spot

The cruelty of the attack, together with its symbolic goal – a revival in Kashmir, civic tourism – resentment across the country and condemned from abroad.

In the following days, a group called itself “Kashmir resistance”, claimed responsibility, described the attack as an act of resistance against “outsiders”. However, a few days later, TRF withdrew the claim citing “communication error”.

Indian agencies linked the attack to TRF and named Sheikh Sajjad Gul as the mastermind. In the revelations of press briefing and intelligence, the National Investigation Agency and Intelligence Bureau mentioned that Gul was first arrested in Delhi for keeping explosives in 2002, later fled to Pakistan, and a Lashkar-e-Tibi operative coordinating TRF attacks from across the border. Gul is believed to play an important role in orchestrating several TRF operations from 2020.

India’s response: diplomacy and direct action

The terrorist attack initiated a sharp and multi -layered reaction from India. On the diplomatic front, New Delhi activated its mission in Washington, New York and major European capitals, emphasizing for coordinated sanctions against TRF. At the United Nations, India listed the TRF under the 1267 Ban Committee – the same mechanism that earlier nominated Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed.

On the ground, Indian security forces intensified the counter -operations in South Kashmir, killing several confirmed TRF operators. However, the most obvious response came on May 7, when India carried out Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine terrorism sites in Pakistan -occupied Kashmir (POK) and Pakistan. National Security Advisor Ajit Dowal confirmed to hit all the intended goals in a 23 -minute accurate strike, leading to a significant increase across the line of control.

These attacks sent a visual message: India was not only holding Pakistan accountable for harassing terrorists, but also to actively enable organizations such as TRF and other new generation proxy outfits.

US restrictions: a strategic signal

When the United States nominated the TRF as a terrorist group, it first marked that Washington formally gave the Kashmir-based proxy as the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a specially designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The US statement depicted TRF as a proxy of Lashkar-e-Tabiba, stressing the group’s role in the Pahalgam attack on 22 April. The diplomatic language was clear: TRF was an extension of Late, indicating that American officials see it as part of the Mumbai-style terror network, not a homegron group.

Legally, the designation triggers a freeze on any TRF-linked assets within the American courts, financial assistance crimes, and bar travel to the group attached to the group. It also puts pressure on allid nations that they are associated with HAVL chain, shell entities and encrypted communication channels with TRF infrastructure.

Further Road: More than just one ban

While TRF’s American designation as a foreign terrorist organization marks an important diplomatic move, experts take precautions that this is only the beginning. Groups such as TRF are structured to be modular, adaptive and agile. They often move nicknames, decentralize leadership, and migrate on platforms – especially encrypted digital spaces – enforcement creates a complex challenge. The designation enables strict monitoring of the global financial network, but its long -term effectiveness will depend on how strictly these measures are implemented, especially in cyberspace and informal funding channels.

At the same time, the story battlefield in Kashmir is critical. TRF’s secular, anti-establishment language is seen as a strategic effort to avoid the intentional references-to avoid romantic references-militant analysts to create extremist activity in the language of political resistance. To counter that shift will not only require force, but will also renew political engagement and socio-economic renovation, especially for disgruntled youth who remain unsafe for online bigotry and recruitment.

The Pahalgam terror attack highlighted the risks generated by such ribranded proxy groups, where the danger lies not only in guns that they carry, but they put up arms in the stories. With the American designation, the international community has started taking clear notice. The actual challenge is now inherent in translating in disintegration in condemnation.

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