South Asia Terrorism Portal
J&K: TRF: Intensifying Operations Afsara Shaheen Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
On May 8, 2024, a ‘deputy commander’ of The Resistance Front (TRF), Momin Mir, was killed by Security Forces (SFs) in the Kulgam District of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
On May 7, 2024, SFs killed two terrorists in an encounter, including a top ‘commander’ of TRF, Basit Dar, and his associate Faheem Ahmed Baba, who was an over ground worker (OGW), in Redwani Payeen village in Kulgam District. According to the police, Basit Dar was a ‘category A terrorist’ and was wanted in at least 18 cases.
On April 11, 2024, SFs killed a TRF terrorist, Danish Sheikh, in a cordon-and-search operation, and recovered arms, ammunition, and incriminating materials in Fressipora village in Pulwama District.
On February 13, 2024, Police arrested a terrorist, Adil Manzoor Langoo, who was directly involved in the TRF sponsored killings of non-local workers from Punjab. On February 7, 2024, terrorists had opened fire on Amritpal Singh and Rohit Masih of Punjab’s Chamyari village, at Shalla Kadal, Shaheed Gunj, in Srinagar District . While Singh died on the spot, Masih succumbed to his injuries on February 8.
According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, since October 12, 2019, the date of the ‘inception’ of TRF, at least 59 TRF-linked fatalities have been recorded in J&K (data till May 12, 2024). These include 10 civilians, nine SF personnel and 40 TRF cadres. Moreover, 77 TRF terrorists have been arrested during this period.
The TRF is an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and came into existence as an online entity following the abrogation of Article 370 and revocation of the special status of J&K in August 2019. Its leadership included Sajid Jatt, Sajjad Gul and Salim Rehmani, all associated with LeT. Following a grenade attack in Srinagar's Hari Singh High Street that left seven civilians injured, TRF declared its arrival on October 12, 2019, via the encrypted chat app Telegram. In its first message, posted on Telegram, taking responsibility for the grenade attack TRF had stated,
A senior police officer stated in October 2021,
TRF later evolved into a physical entity with the inclusion of terrorists from various outfits, including the LeT. This group, known for its involvement in numerous acts of terror in J&K, has become a significant challenge for SFs in the region.
In a major attack on September 13, 2023, three SF personnel, Colonel Manpreet Singh, Battalion Commander of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, his company commander Major Aashish Dhonchak and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Humayun Bhat, were killed, in an encounter with militants of the Falcon Squad of TRF, in the Kokernag Town of Anantnag District, J&K.
Seven civilians were killed in six separate incidents in J&K in a short span of six days between October 2 and 7, 2021. TRF claimed responsibility for all the killings.
On November 26, 2020, TRF terrorists filmed an attack on the Army's 2 Rashtriya Rifles near Srinagar's Lawaypora area, in which two soldiers were shown being shot dead from close range and weapons snatched on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway.
A Police source stated, according to an October 9, 2021 report, that TRF's tactics marked a departure from the post-2016 militancy. He added,
TRF has become one of the most active terrorist groups in the recent past. As per J&K Police data for 2022, about 172 terrorists were killed in the Valley, out of which 108 belonged to TRF or LeT, followed by JeM at 35.
Since April 2020, TRF has been under the scanner of government agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA), for its suspected links with LeT:
January 9, 2024: The NIA filed a supplementary charge sheet against three TRF terror operatives, Hilal Yaqoob Deva alias Sethi Soab, Musiab Fayaz Baba alias Shoaib Zarar and a Pakistani national, identified as Habibullah Malik alias Sajid Jutt, for conspiring to unleash terrorist attacks in J&K, including in the Rajouri and Poonch districts.
July 25, 2023: An NIA court issued a non-bailable warrant against Basit Ahmad Dar, an active terrorist of LeT and TRF, who had been evading arrest. NIA stated that the case pertained to the killing of two non-local labourers in October 2021 at Laram Gangi Pora in Kulgam District.
May 15, 2023: The NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet against Faisal Muneer alias Ali Bhai, for conspiring with Pakistan-based operatives of LeT/TRF for transportation of firearms and explosives to carry out terrorist acts in India.
November 9, 2022: The NIA filed a supplementary charge-sheet in a case against the activities of TRF in the NIA Special Court in New Delhi, against accused Muzamil Mushtaq Bhat alias Hamza alias Daniyal, a resident of the Baramulla District of J&K.
Moreover, the NIA has been carrying out raids at multiple locations in J&K from time to time as part of an ongoing investigation into the conspiracy to destabilize J&K by newly-formed offshoots of banned terrorist outfits like TRF. The raids targeted residential premises of hybrid terrorists, OGWs, sympathizers, and cadres associated with these organizations.
Not surprisingly, on January 5, 2023, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) declared TRF a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967. Through the notification, the MHA also designated Sheikh Sajjad Gul, a TRF commander, an individual terrorist, under the fourth schedule of the UAPA. The UMHA notification noted,
And further,
One of the most troubling aspects of TRF's activities is its targeting of minority communities. On January 8, 2023, TRF threatened the Sikh community in J&K in an open letter, declaring that any Sikh youth found working as Special Police Officers (SPOs) in the J&K Police Department under civilian cover would be deemed a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) agent. They also threatened members of the Sikh community who use religious places as meeting places for political reason. "You must stop such activities, otherwise you will not have a place in Kashmir, we are actively monitoring the situation," the outfit warned.
On December 15, 2022, TRF, through its ‘Kashmir Fight’ blog, warned that its cadres would turn transit colonies of Kashmiri Pandits into ‘graveyards’ and also threatened contractors involved in the work of constructing these. In February 2023, TRF had threatened to “kill anyone working for the revenue department or whose machines are used” for demolitions during the ‘anti-encroachment’ drive in J&K.
Additional Director General (ADGP) of Police Vijay Kumar stated that TRF was behind the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit identified as Sanjay Sharma on February 26, 2023, in the Achan area of Pulwama District.
On October 7, 2021, TRF militants assassinated two teachers, one Hindu and one Sikh, for asking children to participate in Independence Day functions on August 15.
An intelligence report submitted to security planners in New Delhi in 2020 noted that TRF was controlled by three top LeT handlers in Pakistan and the idea behind TRF was to give terrorism in Kashmir an indigenous face, while also warding off international pressure on Pakistan, particularly from anti-terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that was closely monitoring Islamabad’s activities. The report further disclosed, “TRF is being controlled from Pakistan by top three Lashkar handlers: Sajad Jatt for South Kashmir, Khalid for Central Kashmir and Hanzala Adnan for North Kashmir.”
Within a short period of time TRF, through its violent activities, has established itself as a prominent terrorist formation in J&K. The outfit has proclaimed itself as a secular organization fighting against the Indian government for the freedom of Kashmir, in contrast to earlier Kashmiri militant organisations, which professed an Islamist separatist ideology. TRF has adopted new and high-risk tactics to bring a greater element of surprise to target SFs in a situation where the SFs had established near-complete control in J&K. The recent killings of TRF cadres by SFs is likely to substantially restore state dominance on the ground.
Chhattisgarh: Bijapur - Cooling Hotspot Deepak Kumar Nayak Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On May 10, 2024, as many as 12 Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were gunned down in an encounter with Security Force (SF) personnel in a forest area near Pidia village under Gangaloor Police Station limits in the Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. Two SF personnel were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by Maoists during the operation. Based on inputs about the presence of the ‘commander’ of the CPI-Maoist PLGA (People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army) company No. 2, Vella, and ‘Gangaloor area committee’ ‘secretary’ Dinesh Modiyam, along with 100 to 150 cadres in the forest, personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Bijapur, Dantewada, and Sukma districts, Bastar Fighters, the Special Task Force (STF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) launched an operation. After the encounter, the bodies of 12 Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists] were recovered from the spot, along with one barrel grenade launcher (BGL), a 12-bore gun, a country-made rifle, BGL shells, a huge cache of explosives, Maoist uniforms, bags, medicines, and Naxalite publicity materials and literature. Identities of the deceased had not been ascertained at the time of writing.
On April 21, 2024, a CPI-Maoist cadre, Guddu Kawasi, who had a INR 100,000 reward on his head, was killed in an encounter with SF personnel in a forest area near Keshkutul village under Bhairamgarh Police Station limits in Bijapur District. A DRG team was out on an anti-Maoist operation after they received information that the Maoist ‘division supply team’ ‘commander’, Kawasi Pandaru, and 15-20 other cadres were present in the Keshkutul-Keshmundi Forests. Seeing the security personnel, the Maoists started firing and the encounter started. After the exchange of fire stopped, the body of one Maoist, a weapon and explosives were recovered from the spot.
On April 6, 2024, three unidentified CPI-Maoist cadres were killed during an exchange of fire with SFs in the Karriguta Forest of Pujarikanker village in the Usoor Tehsil (revenue unit) of Bijapur District. SFs recovered one AK-47 rifle, one Light Machine Gun (LMG) and explosives.
On April 2, 2024, 13 CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with security personnel in a forest near Lendra village under Gangaloor Police Station limits in Bijapur District. The identity of the dead Maoists was yet to be ascertained, but prima facie, it appeared that they belonged to the Maoist's PLGA Company No. 2. Police recovered weapons, including an LMG, a .303 rifle, and a 12-bore gun, along with a substantial quantity of barrel grenade launchers, shells, and other arms and ammunition, from the site.
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least 50 Naxalites have been killed in Bijapur District in the current year, thus far (data till May 12, 2024). During the corresponding period of 2023, two Naxalites had been killed in the district. Through 2023, a total of four Naxalites were killed in the district, and 14 had been killed in 2022. Since March 6, 2000, when SATP started documenting LWE-related violence across the country, at least 405 Naxalites have been killed in the Bijapur region and district (Bijapur was part of the Dantewada District and was carved as a separate District on May 11, 2007).
At least six SF personnel have been killed in Bijapur District in the current year, thus far (data till May 12, 2024). During the corresponding period of 2023, two SF personnel had been killed in the district, and through the year, a total of four were killed. Four SF personnel were killed in 2022. Since March 6, 2000, at least 260 SF troopers have been killed in Bijapur.
An analysis of the fatalities data shows that the SF:Maoist kill ratio in Bijapur is strongly in favour of the SFs at 1:8.33 in the current year (data till May 12, 2024), as compared to a neutral at 1:1 during the corresponding period of 2023. The kill ratio remained neutral through 2023, at 1:1. The ratio was in favour of the SFs at 1:3.5 in 2022, while it favoured the Maoists at 1.5:1 in 2021. The ratio favoured the Maoists on three earlier occasions: in 2007, at 4.9:1; in 2011, at 1.28:1; and in 2003 at 4:1. However, since March 6, 2000, when SATP started documenting LWE-related violence across the country, the overall ratio in the Bijapur region and district was in favour of the SFs at 1:1.55, suggesting relative dominance of the SFs.
Meanwhile, civilian fatalities, a key index of security in a region, have followed a cyclical trend in Bijapur District. The district recorded single-digit fatalities in 2003 (four) and 2006 (four), then went on to record a spike into double-digit fatalities in 2007 (34), 2008 (16), 2009 (28), 2010 (14), 2011 (10), 2012 (17), 2013 (15), and 2014 (10). Single-digit fatalities were again recorded in 2015 (seven), 2016 (five), 2017 (three), 2018 (seven), and 2019 (eight). Another spike was recorded in 2020 (15), and then again fatalities reverted to single digits in 2021 (six). The rose into double-digits in 2022 (14), but recorded a single-digit fatality at nine. 2024 has already recorded double-digit civilian fatalities, at 13 (data till May 12, 2024). Bijapur (region and district) has recorded a total of 239 civilian fatalities since March 6, 2000.
Bijapur tops the list among the seven districts (Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, and Sukma) of the Bastar Division, which remain a challenge for the Security Forces. Bijapur, with 69 fatalities (13 civilians, six SF personnel, and 50 Naxalites) in 2024, is followed by Kanker with 35 (one SF trooper and 34 Naxalites), Narayanpur with nine (three civilians and six Naxalites), Dantewada with seven (one civilian, one SF trooper, and five Naxalites), and Sukma with seven (two civilians and five Naxalites). Bastar and Kondagaon have yet to record any fatalities.
Significantly, since March 6, 2000, Bijapur (region and district) accounted for 24.60 per cent of all fatalities in the state – 921 out of a total of 3,743; and for 8.08 per cent of the total of 11,393 Maoist-linked fatalities recorded across the country since 2000.
Analysis of other parameters of violence indicates that the Maoists are weakening in Bijapur. The Maoists have been unable to carry out any incidents of arson in the current year so far (data till May 12, 2024). At least three such incidents were reported in 2023 and six in 2022. The Maoists carried out two incidents of abduction in which three villagers were abducted and killed in 2024. At least four such incidents were reported in 2023, in which two civilians and two SF personnel were abducted. The Maoists killed the two civilians and one SF trooper and released the other trooper after warning. In 2022, six such incidents were reported, in which six civilians and one SF trooper were abducted. The Maoists killed four civilians and the SF trooper, and released two civilians after warning. The Maoists have not given any Bandh (general shutdown strike) calls in the district in 2024, so far. They were not able to make any such calls in 2023 or 2022 as well. The last such call was given by the South Sub-Zonal Bureau of the CPI-Maoist in Bijapur District on December 12, 2021.
Bijapur, spread over a geographical area of 6,562.48 square kilometres, of which around 1,848.07 square kilometres (28 per cent of its total area) is under forest cover, has great geo-strategic importance for the Maoists, falling under the Abujhmadh Forest range (which spreads over 3,900 square kilometres) and the troubled ‘Bastar Division’. The geographical juxtaposition with the LWE-affected Narayanpur District (Chhattisgarh) to the North, Bastar District (Chhattisgarh) to the North-east; Dantewada District (Chhattisgarh) to the east, Sukma District (Chhattisgarh) to the South-east, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam Districts of Telangana on the south, and Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra to the West, further makes it a daunting final bastion for the Maoists, as they cling to the hope of a possible resurrection.
Indeed, to the Police, the area remains a core zone for the Maoists in the Bastar region and is also part of an escape route used by top rebel leaders to slip out of Chhattisgarh into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh during times of increased pressure from Security Forces.
Nevertheless, combing operations and raids have resulted in the arrest of 16 Naxalites in the District in the current year (data till May 12, 2024), in addition to 19 in 2023 (nine in the corresponding period of 2023). 40 rebels were arrested in 2022. Mounting SF pressure has led to the surrender of 19 Naxalites in the current year, in addition to 13 in 2023 (four in the corresponding period of 2023). Nine Naxalites had surrendered in 2022.
The Maoists retain a substantial measure of resilience as well as capacities to orchestrate and execute violence in the Bijapur District. The recent offensive against them, probing deeper into their strongholds, has certainly weakened them, but the complex environment and the troubled neighbourhood of the district creates continuous challenges for the security forces.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia May 6-12, 2024
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
NS
Total
AFGHANISTAN
BANGLADESH
CHT
INDIA
Chhattisgarh
Jammu & Kashmir
Odisha
INDIA (Total)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Punjab
Sindh
PAKISTAN (Total)
Total (South Asia)
Taliban bans Afghanistan International news network: On May 9, Taliban's media oversight commission announced that it has banned cooperation with the Afghanistan International news network, accusing it of broadcasting against the regime. Analysts, experts, and journalists were warned against associating with the network to avoid sanctions. May 10, 2024.
TTP attacks in Pakistan increased by 60 per cent in two years, says Pakistan's Special Representative on Afghanistan Asif Ali Durrani: Pakistan's Special Representative on Afghanistan Asif Ali Durrani on May 10 regretted that the TTP attacks in Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan have significantly increased since the Afghan Taliban took over Kabul. Speaking at a seminar on 'The Challenge of Cross-Border Terrorism' organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), Durrani said peace in Afghanistan seemed a tall order for now and, therefore, they would have to live with the neighbouring country and manage the affairs with Afghanistan accordingly. "Earlier, it was hoped that with the arrival of the Taliban, the security situation on the Pak-Afghan border would improve but unfortunately the attacks emanating from Afghanistan had increased by 60pc [per cent] in the last two years," said Durrani. Dawn, May 11, 2024.
Afghan soil being used by TTP to attack Pakistan, says ISPR DG Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry: The Director General (DG) of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on May 7 that there is "irrefutable evidence" of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) using Afghanistan's soil against the country. "There is irrefutable evidence of Afghan soil being used by the TTP [...] recent terrorist incidents can be traced to Afghanistan", he added. The News, May 8, 2024.
The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.
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