TRF not the only one: List of terror groups affiliated to Pakistan-based Lashkar and Jaish that are active in J&K post 2019

At least 27 people were killed and several injured when terrorists opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley on Tuesday (Apr 22). The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the horrific terror attack. The country is mourning the deaths of innocent people as the administration has beefed up security in the Kashmir valley and other metro cities across the country. The Cabinet committee will hold a meeting this evening after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held security review meetings after arriving in India from Saudi Arabia. Union Home Minister Amit Shah went to Pahalgam on Tuesday evening and met the families of victims today.

Security agencies have also released a sketch of the terrorists who were skilled LeT operatives. According to officials, their names are - Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha. LeT's Saifullah Kasuri is believed to have planned the attackNotably, the Resistance Front (TRF) was declared a terrorist group under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in 2023. As per information available about their activities, the group came into being after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. There are several other shadow terror groups that have emerged on the Kashmiri soil in the aftermath of the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. The MHA has designated all such groups as terror outfits. 

People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) was established in 2020 by LeT and JeM. As per reports, these groups are engaged in 'hybrid militancy' methods and their names have been kept to make it look like movements and not militant outfits. In 2023, the Government of India (GoI) declared  PAFF as terrorist organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. 

In a notification, the MHA said that PAFF has been regularly issuing threats to security forces, political leaders and civilians working in Jammu & Kashmir from other States. The MHA also added that PAFF is indulging in the radicalisation of impressionable youth for recruitment and training in handling guns, ammunition and explosives. 

The existence of Kashmir Tigers first came to the fore in January 2021 when they claimed responsibility for attacking a police bus in Srinagar, killing three soldier and injuring several others. They were also formed after Article 370 revocation. According to police, Kashmir Tigers is a shadow group of the banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).  According to a report in The Diplomat, a police official said that these groups were formed “to show that these had emerged out of local anger with the Indian state”. 

These groups including TRF also use social media to recruit and spread their propaganda. In the aftermath of the revocation of Article 370, Indian security officials have cracked down on social media channels that impersonated as Indian Army officials and spread false information about military operations, aiming to create confusion and undermine trust in official communications. As per a report on the Global Network of Extremism and Technology, these groups promote their military actions by sharing videos, images, voice or written messages.