NIA dossier links TRF, online cells, LeT commanders, attacks

A proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), The Resistance Force (TRF) emerged in 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370 and was banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs under UAPA in 2023. It initially claimed responsibility for the 2025 Pahalgam attack that killed 28 people, including tourists and a Navy officer, but later withdrew the claim on social media fearing global backlash.

The NIA, J&K Police, and other central agencies submitted fresh dossiers on TRF after the UN Security Council (UNSC) refused to name it, following Pakistan's intervention. The dossier details the role of key LeT operatives, their online networks, and involvement in past attacks on soldiers and civilians. Intelligence inputs suggest that after Operation Sindoor-targeting terror hideouts and launchpads-TRF shifted its base from Muzaffarabad in PoK to Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

TRF's activities picked up in 2020-21, with the first case recorded in June 2021 over recovery of IEDs from a LeT terrorist in Bathindi, Jammu. Since then, the group has used encrypted social media apps to recruit youth, claim responsibility for attacks, and issue threats.

The fresh US designation blocks all TRF-linked assets in its jurisdiction and bars American entities from any dealings. Those engaging with the group risk secondary sanctions. Non-US nationals providing support to TRF will also be inadmissible to the US, with material support deemed a criminal offense. Counterterror officials said the move strengthens India's case at the 1267 UN Sanctions Committee.

NIA investigations reveal that Pakistan-based LeT handlers plotted attacks in J&K, using the TRF acronym to maintain plausible deniability and evade scrutiny.