Who's Pahalgam attack mastermind, who led the TRF strike? Explained in 5 points

A group of terrorists opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on Tuesday, killing 26 people. While the group was reportedly led by Asif Fauji, Lashkar-e-Taiba's Saifullah Kasuri is believed to have planned the attack. The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack. Here's all about Kasuri, Fauji and the TRF in five big points.

In the worst terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, a group of terrorists opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadow, leaving at least 26 people dead. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) claimed responsibility for the massacre. It is reported that the LeT's Saifullah Kasuri was the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack, while the TRF group was led by Asif Fauji.

Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated on August 5, 2019. The Centre abrogated Article 370 for the complete integration of Kashmir with the Union. Terror activity and even stone-pelting incidents saw a dip after that.

The Resistance Front (TRF) was formed after the abrogation of Article 370.

Pakistan and terrorists backed and funded by it have been behind terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir for decades now. The LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and its terror chiefs are all based in Pakistan.

The last big terror attack in Kashmir was in February 2019, when a convoy of central paramilitary forces, the CRPF, was attacked. Forty CRPF personnel were killed in it. India retaliated with cross-LoC airstrikes in Balakot.

The April 22 Pahalgam attack was reportedly carried out by a group of four-five terrorists, including Pakistani terrorists. They are said to have infiltrated the Valley just days before the attack on tourists.

Here's what we know about the reported mastermind, Saifullah Kasuri, the TRF and its team lead, Asif Fauji. Inputs remain sketchy and from multiple sources. India Today Digital is trying to bring out a clearer picture by diving into several sources.

1. WHO IS SAIFULLAH KASURI, ALLEGED MASTERMIND OF PAHALGAM ATTACK?

Saifullah Kasuri, alias Khalid, a senior commander of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), is said to be the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack. Kasuri is also considered a close aide of LeT founder Hafeez Saeed.

Agencies suspect the strike was carefully planned, with terrorists lying low and waiting for an opportune moment to cause mass casualties. The attack coincided with two VIP visits, of US Vice President JD Vance to India and of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia.

2. SAIFULLAH KASURI HEADS LeT's PESHAWAR HQ

Saifullah Kasuri or Khalid was introduced as the president of Milli Muslim League (MML), the political front of Hafeez Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), and talked about the party’s formation, aims, and objectives during an August 8, 2017, press conference, according to the US Treasury, The Times of India reported.

Khalid also heads (LeT) Peshawar headquarters and has served on the Coordination Committee for Central Punjab Province under JuD. JuD was designated by the US Department of State as an alias of LeT under Executive Order 13224 in April 2016. Additionally, in December 2008, it was added to the United Nations 1267/1988 Sanctions List as another alias of LeT.

3. WHAT IS THE RESISTANCE FRONT (TRF)?

The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the banned LeT, was formed following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. According to officials, the name was chosen to downplay the group's religious affiliations, and give Kashmir's militancy a more indigenous appearance. 'Resistance' was incorporated in its name so that it resonated globally, officials told The Indian Express.

The TRF issued threats to valley-based journalists, following which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared the TRF a "terrorist organisation" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

According to the MHA notification, the TRF was recruiting youths through online platforms for terror activities, including to help in the infiltration of terrorists and smuggling of weapons and narcotics from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir.

When the TRF was founded in 2019, Sheikh Sajjad Gul led the terror outfit as the supreme commander, while Basit Ahmed Dar served as the chief operational commander. The TRF was an amalgamation of terrorists from several outfits, such as Hizbul Mujahideen and LeT.

The Resistance Force (TRF) has carried out a majority of the attacks in Jammu and Kashmir on civilians and security forces, including the Ganderbal attack, in which a doctor and six non-local labourers were killed when terrorists targeted a tunnel-construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in October 2024.

According to the J&K Police, the maximum number of militants neutralised in the Valley in 2022 belonged to TRF, which shows that TRF is one of the most active proxies of LeT.

4. WHO IS ASIF FAUJI OF THE RESISTANCE FRONT?

The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack within hours of the massacre on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Jammu and Kashmir Police released sketches of three of the attackers involved in the massacre.

The three terrorists have been identified as Asif Fuji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha.

Asif Fauji, according to several reports, including that of India Today TV, was the leader of the pack.

While some reports suggested that he was a local terrorist, others claimed he worked with the Pakistan Army, and hence the name Fauji.

Eyewitnesses said that while two terrorists spoke in Pashto, indicating Pakistani origin, two of them were reported to be locals from Bijbhera and Tral.

According to intel sources, digital footprints of the attackers were traced to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, strengthening cross-border terror link evidence.

5. SPEECHES OF ASIM MUNIR AND ABU MUSA AHEAD OF PAHALGAM ATTACK

There were two speeches delivered at two separate events in Pakistan that came days ahead of the Pahalgam attack that could reveal a Pakistani link to Tuesday's massacre.

One of the speeches was delivered by Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir on April 16, where he stressed the Two-Nation Theory, which led to the creation of Pakistan, to highlight "stark differences between Hindus and Muslims".

Indian intelligence agencies saw Munir's anti-Hindu rhetoric as a calculated move and a signal for Pakistan-based terror groups to regroup, according to a report in The Times of India.

The other speech was delivered on April 18 by Abu Musa, an LeT commander, who called for jihad and bloodshed in Kashmir at a rally in POK's Rawalkot that was attended by several terrorist leaders. The rally was held in the memory of two LeT terrorists killed by Indian forces.

In a viral video, verified by Indian intelligence agencies, Musa called for terror attacks in Kashmir in retaliation for the abrogation of Article 370.

The rally appeared to have the backing of Pakistan's security establishment.

A day after the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 tourists were killed, a role of Pakistan emerged with the TRF claiming responsibility and an LeT commander being the mastermind. While there are reports of a local terrorist having led the group of attackers, specific details will only emerge with time.