Explained | Formed after abrogation of Article 370, Hafiz Saeed link: All you need to know about terror outfit TRF

On Tuesday, terrorists opened fire at a prime tourist location in south Kashmir's Pahalgam, killing at least 27 civilians and injuring several others. The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

TRF is a militant group linked to Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed's Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), multiple media reports said.

"More than 85,000 domiciles have been issued to non-locals, creating a pathway for demographic change in Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK). These non-locals arrive posing as tourists, obtain domiciles, and then begin to act as if they own the land. Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally," reports said quoting TRF.

The Ministry of Home Affairs refers to The Resistance Front (TRF) as a proxy outfit of terrorist organization Lashkar-E-Taiba that came into existence in 2019.

TRF has been involved in planning of killings of security force personnel and innocent civilians of Jammu and Kashmir, coordinating and transporting weapons to support proscribed terrorist organisations, recruitment of terrorists, infiltration of terrorists and smuggling of weapons and narcotics from across the border, as per MHA.

TRF is also believed to have been involved in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and 26/11, with Hafiz Saeed as the mastermind, a report in NDTV said. The militant group is also believed to be backed by ISI, the intelligence agency of Pakistan.

As per the media reports, TRF was headed by Sheikh Sajjad Gul, who is a commander within the outfit. 

In Jan 2023, the Indian government declared TRF a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) of 1967.

TRF has been responsible for several attacks that have been carried out in Jammu and Kashmir, and it is believed to be the one of the most active terror outfits in J&K today.

(With PTI inputs)