The Resistance Front

The Resistance Front (TRF) is a militant organisation actively engaged in insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, and designated as a terrorist organisation in India. 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. The group is responsible for attacks on and killings of civilians, including those belonging to religious minority communities such as Kashmiri Hindus  government employees, labourers and business owners, local politicians, and tourists, as well as for several attacks on Indian security forces including local policemen.

Formed using cadres of Jihadist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen 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, but has carried out targeted killings of locals from religious minority communities. The group maintains a significant social media presence, some of which has been traced to Pakistan.

Origins
The Resistance Front was founded in October 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370 and the revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian government in August 2019. The TRF portrays itself as an indigenous Kashmiri resistance movement fighting for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir from India, while the Indian government has accused the TRF of being a frontal organization for Lashkar-e-Taiba. The TRF has been noted for using non-religious symbolism, with logos, statements, and attack rationale all being distinct from past Islamist Kashmiri insurgents such as Hizbul Mujahideen, to project a secular image, while continuing to attack religious minorities. On April 1, 2020, the TRF gained prominence after a four-day gun battle near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara's Keran Sector, during which five Indian paracommandos and five TRF militants were killed.

Activities
TRF attacks have targeted Kashmiri Pandits, Hindus, Sikhs, as well as Muslims. In these attacks on civilians, LeT and HM did not claim responsibility, only the TRF did. TRF has been accused by the Indian government of links to various activities, including planning attacks on security forces and civilians, coordinating the transportation of weapons for proscribed militant groups, recruitment of militants, infiltration across borders, and smuggling of weapons and narcotics.

In 2022, it was responsible for a substantial number of fatalities in the region. TRF has also been active in recruitment, making it a prominent militant group in Jammu and Kashmir. The TRF has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir against Indian forces and it has made use of social media videos and posters to spread its propaganda.

Notably, TRF claimed responsibility for an attack on security officers in the Anantnag district using the guerilla warfare strategy, citing it as an "act of revenge" for the killing of their leader, commander Riyaz Ahmed, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Notable incidents

 * 5 April 2020: Two TRF militants killed five Indian PARA SF before being killed themselves, in Keran.
 * 18 April 2020: TRF militants ambushed Indian forces, killing at least three and injuring 2 more, in Sopore.
 * 3 May 2020: Five Indian security forces personnel, including one Colonel, one Major, and an Inspector of SOG, killed by two TRF militants who were also killed later.
 * 5 May 2020: four CRPF personnel and one disabled local civilian killed and five CRPF personnel injured. Two rifles stolen from the killed CRPF troopers.
 * 21 May 2020: TRF militants attacked a CRPF/JKP party, killing 2 personnel and injuring a third.
 * 8 June 2020: TRF militants assassinated a Kashmiri Pandit village head (sarpanch).
 * 1 July 2020: TRF militants ambushed Indian forces, killing two and injuring 3 more. A sixty-four-year-old civilian killed in cross-fire, causing anger across Kashmir.
 * 8 July 2020: TRF militants kill 3 civilians, including a local politician, his father and brother.
 * 25 September 2020: TRF militants assassinated Babar Qadri, a prominent local lawyer.
 * 6 October 2020: TRF militants attacked the residence of a local politician, killing PSO of the BJP leader. One TRF militant also killed.
 * 30 October 2020: TRF militants ambushed and killed three civilians who workers of BJP.
 * 8 November 2020: TRF militants encountered Indian forces during a search operation during which three Indian Army personnel, 1 BSF personal and three TRF militants were killed.
 * 23 December 2020: TRF militants threw grenades at a CRPF party and then fired upon them, killing two and injuring another.
 * 31 December 2020: TRF militants assassinated Satpal Nischal, a jeweler.
 * 19 February 2021: TRF militants killed two local policemen in Srinagar.
 * 29 March 2021: TRF militants kill one policeman and two councillors during ambush on a meeting of municipal councilors from the BJP in Sopore.
 * 1 April 2021: TRF militants kill one local policeman during attacked a politician's house.
 * 22 June 2021: TRF militants assassinated a CID Inspector.
 * 27 June 2021: Alleged TRF militants kill three, including a local police officer, his wife and daughter.
 * 7 August 2021: TRF militants killed one local police officer and injured another.
 * 5 October 2021: TRF militants assassinated Makhan Lal Bindro, a Kashmiri Pandit businessman, in Srinagar.
 * 7 October 2021: TRF militants assassinated two non-Muslim teachers, including 1 Hindu and 1 Sikh, in a school in Srinagar.
 * 9 October 2021: TRF militants killed two policemen.
 * 13 September 2023: 2023 Anantnag encounter

International implications
Pakistan's inclusion on the FATF's "grey list" in 2018 and its subsequent removal raised questions about TRF's emergence. Some believe that TRF was strategically created to divert attention from LeT and other terror groups under FATF scrutiny. This move allowed Pakistan to maintain plausible deniability for attacks in India.

Ban and designation
In January 2023, TRF was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by the Indian government. This action designated its leader, Sheikh Sajjad Gul, as a militant. The ban was imposed due to the Indian government's suspicions of TRF's involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari in June 2018.