Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – A front group of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir union territory that left 26 Indian tourists dead. The Resistance Front (TRF), an alias for the LeT, took credit for the April 22 assault, which Indian authorities are calling the worst terror attack in the country since the 2008 Mumbai massacre.
According to Indian security officials, the attackers crossed over from Pakistan and ambushed the victims as they emerged from a forested area near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam. Witnesses said the gunmen, believed to number at least six, checked the identification of victims before executing them at close range—deliberately sparing Muslims and targeting Hindus.
Indian intelligence has identified two of the assailants as Kashmiri men who traveled to Pakistan in 2018. They reportedly returned with three Pakistani nationals who then infiltrated the region to carry out the killings. The attack bears the hallmarks of previous Lashkar-e-Taiba operations, combining cross-border infiltration with targeted mass killings.
“This is not just another terror strike—it’s a calculated massacre designed to stoke fear and sectarian tension,” a senior Indian intelligence official said.
The Resistance Front, which emerged in 2019 following India’s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status, is widely viewed by security experts as a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba. Several of TRF’s leaders, including Sajid Jatt, Sajjad Gul, and Salim Rehmani, have documented ties to LeT.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, founded in 1987 by Hafiz Saeed with support from Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam, has long been accused of executing terrorist operations across India and Afghanistan with the support of the Pakistani state. Despite being listed by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Saeed being named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, the group continues to operate openly within Pakistan. Its headquarters, Markaz-e-Taiba, in Muridke near Lahore, is known to receive state support and funding.
India has repeatedly called on Pakistan to dismantle terror infrastructure on its soil and take firm action against groups like LeT. However, Pakistan denies involvement and claims it targets all militant groups equally.
The April 22 attack has triggered outrage across India and sparked renewed debate over counter-terrorism policy and the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Authorities have increased security patrols in the region and launched a manhunt for the attackers, some of whom are believed to still be at large.
