Report on TRF and Its Proxy Social Media Handle ‘Kashmir Fight’

1. Introduction. The Resistance Front (TRF) is a militant organization active in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is widely considered a proxy of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The Indian government officially designated TRF as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in January 2023. ​

• Summary Table: TRF at a Glance.

• Key Figures.

2. Origin. TRF emerged in October 2019, shortly after the Indian government’s revocation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. This move led to widespread unrest and the formation of various militant groups, including TRF. It is widely recognized as a proxy arm of Lashkar-e-Taiba, created to give militancy in Kashmir a more “localized” appearance. TRF was founded in October 2019, with Sheikh Sajjad Gul as its Supreme Commander and Basit Ahmed Dar as its Chief Operational Commander.
3. Terror Attacks by TRF. TRF has been responsible for several significant terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir since its emergence in 2019. Below is a summary of major incidents attributed to TRF:

4. Leadership.TRF’s leadership has seen several key figures:

 Muhammad Abbas Sheikh.The founder and first chief of TRF, he was previously associated with Hizbul Mujahideen. He played a significant role in establishing TRF as a separatist organization involved in the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. He was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces on August 23, 2021. ​

• Basit Ahmed Dar. Following Abbas Sheikh’s death, Basit Ahmed Dar, also known as Abu Kamran, became the Chief Operational Commander of TRF. He was one of the most wanted militants in the Kashmir valley with a reward of one million INR on his head. He was killed by Indian security forces on May 7, 2024, in an encounter in the Kulgam district of Kashmir.
• Sheikh Sajjad Gul. Currently, Sheikh Sajjad Gul serves as the supreme leader of TRF. He has been designated as a terrorist under the UAPA, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has placed a reward of 1 million INR on his head.

5. Details of Sheikh Sajjad Gul. Sheikh Sajjad Gul, also known as Sheikh Sajjad Ahmad, is the current leader of The Resistance Front (TRF), a militant group active in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Operating from Pakistan, he has been instrumental in orchestrating various terror activities in the region.

Personal Background.

 Full Name.Sheikh Sajjad Ahmad (aliases include Sajjad Gul, Sajjad Ah Sheikh)
   Date of Birth. October 10, 1974
   Hometown.Rose Avenue Colony, HMT Shalteng, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
   Affiliation. Commander of TRF, a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)

• Terrorist Activities. Gul has been involved in several significant terrorist activities:

 Shujaat Bukhari Murder. He participated in the conspiracy to assassinate prominent Kashmiri journalist     Shujaat Bukhari in 2018.

Cyber-Terrorism.Gul masterminded the “Kashmir Fight” social media platform, which issued threats to migrant Kashmiri Pandit employees, aiming to instill fear and disrupt communal harmony.

Ganderbal Attack.He directed a local TRF module to carry out a terror attack in Ganderbal, targeting both Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri individuals.

6.    KashmirFight  a digital mouthpiece for The Resistance Front (TRF). TRF is a militant organization active in Jammu and Kashmir, formed in 2019, has leveraged digital platforms extensively to spread propaganda, claim responsibility for attacks, and conduct psychological operations (Psy Ops) aimed at influencing public perception and destabilizing the region.

Post Claiming Responsibility of the Attack on Mastodon.

7. Website Details.  The website com (given below) is a blog that supports Kashmiri extremism, focusing on propagating negative narrative against Indian governance in Jammu and Kashmir. It presents itself as a platform for journalist and human rights activism, but in reality this is a terrorist organization.

Published Anti-India Articles.

The website given above was officially registered on December 10, 2024. The registration was completed through NameCheap, Inc. According to the publicly available domain registration records, the registrant is based in Iceland. Additional specifics regarding the registration are given below:

8. Social Media Presence. KashmirFight have presence on several social media platforms which plays a crucial role in its propaganda efforts, recruitment processes, and overall operational tactics.

• Mastodon. TRF have a presence on Mastodon since 16 Mar 2024 with 202 followers.

Previous Posts on Mastodon.

Posts above shows the close alliance of Kashmir Fight with Jhelum Media House. Jhelum Media House (JMH) is identified as a propaganda outlet affiliated with TRF, a Pakistan-backed militant group operating in Jammu and Kashmir. JMH functions as a media channel for TRF, disseminating messages that promote separatist ideologies and incite violence. ​

In June 2024, following the Reasi bus attack, JMH released statements and visuals claiming responsibility for the incident and warning of further assaults on non-local individuals, including tourists.

• Chirpwire. ChirpWire is an encrypted social media platform that shares several similarities with Facebook but is designed to maximize user privacy and anonymity. TRF have a presence on this platform since April 2024 with 141 followers.
• BiP.KashmirFight operates a communication channel on BiP, a free instant messaging platform developed by Lifecell Ventures Cooperatief U.A., a subsidiary of Turkcell based in the Netherlands. The application supports text messaging, voice messaging, and video calling functionalities.

QR Code for KashmirFight’s BiP Channel.

Preview of KashmirFight’s BiP Channel.

• Telegram. TRF have a private channel on Telegram named KashmirFight PUBLIC with 627 subscribers, where they post about their activities. Screenshot shows a Telegram post by KashmirFight, calling users to join channels on other platforms.

9. Denial by TRF. On April 26, 2025, this purported TRF Telegram channel continued to deny TRF’s responsibility for the attack, instead alleging the Pahalgam attack was a “carefully orchestrated black operation” by India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW, or R&AW). The group claimed that the information report on the incident was registered in “official records” nearly ten minutes before the attack in Pahalgam occurred, and questioned the slow response time of the Pahalgam Police Station as “the fingerprint of a state-sponsored false flag operation.” The post alleged the Indian state “manufactured violence” in order to “demonize the Kashmiri jihad,” “distract from internal dissent,” and “fabricate justifications for new military crackdowns.” Additionally, a document allegedly outlining an Indian RAW “strategic false flag” operation, dubbed Operation “TRINETRA,” circulated on X and Telegram channels, as well as other social media platforms. The purported RAW report, dated April 16, 2025, indicated the operation was “designed to implicate The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-backed proxy group with alleged ISI [Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence] patronage, in a mass-casualty event targeting both civilians and security infrastructure,” specifically “aimed at reinforcing India’s counterterrorism resonance during [US Vice President] Senator Vance’s public briefings.”

On April 27, 2025, TRF claimed to have breached the “Indian intelligence fortress,” including IB and RAW, and obtained communications with the intent to “expose the planning of false flag attacks, the orchestration of massacres, and the fabrication of lies against the Kashmiri Resistance” (Figure 5, below). TRF indicated it would publish the Indian intelligence communications “at regular intervals” to expose “India’s crimes against Kashmir and its subversion inside Pakistan through support to separatists.” The group also warned that India should “choose your next move wisely” or risk exposure of its operations in Bangladesh and Myanmar. A subsequent post on April 30, 2025, contained nine images of an alleged “Top Secret//Special Intelligence” report from RAW, outlining detailed plans for a false-flag attack in the Kashmir Valley. Insikt Group cannot verify the authenticity of the report at this time.

10. TRF’s Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has escalated its operations in Jammu and Kashmir with a noticeable shift in targeting strategy. Traditionally focused on security forces and political figures, TRF attacks in late 2024 and early 2025 began to target infrastructure projects and civilians, including non-local laborers and tourists. These attacks are believed to reflect growing hostility toward what the group perceives as demographic change and Indian federal consolidation in the region. Social media posts from pro-separatist accounts such as Kashmir Fight FalconX in 2024 and 2025 increasingly framed non-local civilians, especially Hindu and Sikh migrants and tourists, as “settler colonists” involved in the “illegal occupation” of Kashmir.

The 2025 Pahalgam attack marked a significant development in TRF’s tactics. Five attackers, allegedly affiliated with a TRF unit called the “Falcon Squad,” infiltrated the Pahalgam area dressed in military camouflage and armed with military-grade weapons and advanced communication devices. Survivors reported that the assailants specifically targeted Hindu males, inspecting for religious markers such as names and circumcisions, and demanding victims recite the Islamic declaration of faith. The attackers used helmet-mounted cameras and operated in a swift “hit-and-run” style, retreating into the forested terrain to evade capture.

Indian authorities have identified the attack leader as Hashim Musa (aka Asif Fauji), reportedly a former Pakistani Special Services Group (SSG) commando, with support from another Pakistani national, Ali Bhai, and two Indian Kashmiris. The attack was allegedly orchestrated by Saifullah Kasuri (aka Khalid), a senior LeT commander and close aide of Hafiz Saeed. Digital footprints of the attackers traced back to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, suggesting deep logistical coordination with LeT infrastructure in Pakistan.

The targeting of Hindu tourists in Pahalgam marks a potential shift in the operational policy of Kashmiri militant groups, signaling a willingness to expand attacks beyond government personnel and settlers to include civilian visitors. Indian analysts have warned that such attacks are part of a broader strategy to destabilize the region, discourage tourism, and deepen communal divisions. The use of highly trained, locally recruited militants under the “Falcon Squad” indicates a growing reliance on decentralized, hard-to-trace operatives, raising concerns about future threats to both regional security and civilian life in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the October 2024 attack on the Z-Morh tunnel (also known as the Sonamarg tunnel) claimed by TRF, two to three attackers entered the camp with rifles, including a M4 Carbine assault rifle and an AK-47 (Figure 10, below), and opened fire. Unlike the Pahalgam attack, which isolated the non-Muslim men, the gunmen in the tunnel attack reportedly opened fire indiscriminately. Indian sources reported the TRF had conducted reconnaissance of the site one month before the attack. The TRF claim of responsibility noted the “strategic” value of its targeting a “billion-dollar tunnel project,” and warned, “we will cut down any neck that stretches out with ill intent.”