logo
US designates The Resistance Front as terrorist organisation: What is the significance of the move?

US designates The Resistance Front as terrorist organisation: What is the significance of the move?

Indian Express5 days ago
The United States designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a terrorist organisation on Friday (July 18).
The decision came three months after TRF claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 25 tourists and a local ponywala.
Here is a look at what TRF is, and the significance of the move.
TRF, police say, is a shadow group of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) that was cast to give 'an indigenous look' to the militancy in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of the special status.
While Pakistan was on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, they didn't want Lashkar or Jaish to operate under their own names in the Valley, and floated the TRF and the People Against Fascist Forces (PAFF) to skirt accountability, senior officers say.
TRF emerged almost immediately after the abrogation of special status on August 5, 2019. In October that year, a grenade exploded in a street market in Srinagar, injuring a few vendors. TRF claimed responsibility, but the security agencies labelled the attack 'an act of miscreants'. The attack came at a time when Srinagar was beginning to open after two months of shutdown to protest the revocation of Article 370, and was seen as an attempt to disrupt normalcy.
By mid-2020, TRF had emerged as a prominent force on Kashmir's terror map. They were behind a string of attacks that caught the attention of the security establishment in the Kashmir Valley. It didn't take agencies long to trace TRF's roots to the LeT, a Pakistan-based terror outfit already designated as a terrorist organisation by the US. TRF, the security establishment said, was a 'rebranded Lashkar'.
Security officials said that while TRF is a front for the LeT, it works jointly with other terror outfits in the valley. 'The lines on the ground have blurred. They may have different names, but on the ground, they are one,' said a security official. 'So even if TRF is responsible for a terror attack, some other organisation may claim it. In the last three years, several new names have cropped up, like the Kashmir Fight, the Kashmir Tigers, etc. The cadres are the same, only the name is different. They are all shadow groups.'
What is the significance of the move?
The decision by the US to designate TRF as a terrorist organisation is a diplomatic win for India and a message to Pakistan.
However, its impact on the ground remains to be seen, top security officials in the Valley believe.
'It is a diplomatic win and puts Pakistan in a tight spot, but as far as the militancy is concerned, we will have to wait and watch. We have enough examples from the past – Lashkar, Jaish and even Hizb. All of them have been designated as terrorist organisations, yet they continued their attacks,' said a senior police officer, who has been part of Jammu and Kashmir Police's counter-insurgency grid.
'Unlike Lashkar or Jaish, it (TRF) is not an outfit with a global presence; it has restricted itself to Jammu and Kashmir. After some days, you may see the same people operating under a new name. They will keep changing the nomenclature,' the officer cautioned.
'For outfits like the TRF, terrorism is important, not the brand under which they operate,' he said. 'It is an underground outfit and there is little information about their known assets or structures that can be frozen to deal them a blow.'
Security officials also believe, and hope, that the US decision to declare TRF a terror organisation is likely a signal for Pakistan to step back. 'After Pakistan virtually bailed out the US in Afghanistan and, more recently, the Pakistan Army Chief was invited to the White House, perhaps they were under the impression there would be no repercussions,' said one official.
'It remains to be seen whether the US acts beyond designating TRF as a terrorist organisation. If that happens, we may see Pakistan establishments forcing the Lashkar commanders to pull back the strings of the TRF.'
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bombay HC judgement acquitting 2006 Mumbai train blasts accused won't be treated precedent: Supreme Court
Bombay HC judgement acquitting 2006 Mumbai train blasts accused won't be treated precedent: Supreme Court

Hans India

time25 minutes ago

  • Hans India

Bombay HC judgement acquitting 2006 Mumbai train blasts accused won't be treated precedent: Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday said that the Bombay High Court judgment acquitting 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case will not be treated as a binding precedent. A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh passed the order after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the questions of law decided in the impugned judgment will affect other pending trials under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA). The Justice Sundresh-led Bench also issued notice on the Maharashtra government's plea challenging the Bombay High Court order in the July 11, 2006, Mumbai blast case. Directing immediate release of 12 accused, of whom five were on death row and seven others on life imprisonment, the acquittal order passed by a bench of Justices Anil Kilor and S. Chandak on Monday came as a major blow to the investigation agencies in Maharashtra. The Justice Kilor-led Bench castigated the shoddy probe prosecution, opining that the prosecution failed to even establish the type of bombs used in the crime. The 12 accused -- incarcerated for 19 years -- succeeded in establishing before the Bombay High Court the fact of torture inflicted on them to extort confessional statements. As a result, it held the statements inadmissible, saying, "On all the tests relating to voluntariness and truthfulness of the confessional statements, the prosecution failed." On July 11, 2006, seven bomb serial blasts in packed Mumbai local trains brought the maximum city to its knees within 11 minutes. The terror attack left 189 dead and over 800 injured. Earlier in 2015, a special court convicted 12 individuals in the case, sentencing five -- Faisal Shaikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Siddiqui, and Naveed Khan -- to death, while the remaining seven were given life imprisonment. The prosecution had argued that the attack was planned by Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, and carried out by operatives of Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba with help from the Students' Islamic Movement of India, a banned Indian group. Last week, Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai agreed to urgently list the Maharashtra government's special leave petition (SLP) for hearing on July 24. Seeking an urgent hearing on the state government's special leave petition (SLP), Solicitor General Mehta said that it was a 'serious matter' requiring the top court's consideration on 'some important issues'.

Microsoft says some SharePoint server hackers now use ransomware
Microsoft says some SharePoint server hackers now use ransomware

Economic Times

time27 minutes ago

  • Economic Times

Microsoft says some SharePoint server hackers now use ransomware

Agencies A cyber-espionage campaign centered on vulnerable versions of Microsoft's server software now involves the deployment of ransomware, Microsoft said in a late Wednesday blog the post, citing "expanded analysis and threat intelligence," Microsoft said a group it dubs "Storm-2603" is using the vulnerability to seed the ransomware, which typically works by paralyzing victims' networks until a digital currency payment is made. The disclosure marks a potential escalation in the campaign, which has already hit at least 400 victims, according to Netherlands-based cybersecurity firm Eye Security. Unlike typical state-backed hacker campaigns, which are aimed at stealing data, ransomware can cause widespread disruption depending on where it lands. The figure of 400 victims represents a sharp rise from the 100 organizations cataloged over the weekend. Eye Security says the figure is likely an undercount."There are many more, because not all attack vectors have left artifacts that we could scan for," said Vaisha Bernard, the chief hacker for Eye Security, which was among the first organizations to flag the details of most of the victim organizations have not yet been fully disclosed, but on Wednesday a representative for the National Institutes of Health confirmed that one of the organization's servers had been compromised."Additional servers were isolated as a precaution," he said. The news of the compromise was first reported by the Washington outlets said the hacking campaign had breached an even broader range of U.S. agencies. NextGov, citing multiple people familiar with the matter, reported the Department of Homeland Security had been hit, along with more than five to 12 other which cited two U.S. officials, said multiple agencies were believed to have been cyberdefense arm, CISA, did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the reports. Microsoft did not immediately return a message seeking further details on the ransomware angle of the hacking or the reported government victims. The spy campaign began after Microsoft failed to fully patch a security hole in its SharePoint server software, kicking off a scramble to fix the vulnerability when it was discovered. Microsoft and its tech rival, Google-owner Alphabet , have both said Chinese hackers are among those taking advantage of the flaw. Beijing has denied the claim. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Can victims of Jane Street scam be compensated by investor protection funds? Did the likes of TCS, Infosys, Wipro let India down in AI race? How India's oil arbitrage has hit the European sanctions wall Apple has a new Indian-American COO. What it needs might be a new CEO. Stock Radar: Tata Chemicals breaks out from 1-month consolidation; time to buy the dip? Power sector companies: Will they be able to outperform? 5 power stocks with an upside potential ranging from 6 to 29% For risk-takers with long-term perspective: 7 mid-cap stocks from different sectors with upside potential of over 26% Multibagger or IBC - Part 16: Regulatory tailwind turns compliance into cash. This auto ancillary could be a winner

Amid violence in Syria, pressure on interim government grows
Amid violence in Syria, pressure on interim government grows

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Amid violence in Syria, pressure on interim government grows

Amid violence in Syria, pressure on interim government grows (Image: AP) Although the ceasefire in the southern Syrian province of Sweida is currently holding, the conflict between the groups involved is far from resolved. As a precaution, the Syrian government was sending Bedouin-Sunni families out of the area over the weekend, the country's state media outlet SANA reported. Altogether, around 1,500 people were transported out of the province by bus. Violence escalated after conflict broke out between local Druze fighters and Bedouin communities in Sweida around 10 days ago. According to the Netherlands-based monitor, Syrian Network for Human Rights, around 600 people have been killed so far. Another organization in the UK, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, has suggested the death toll could be twice as high. The deadly violence and large casualty count has put the country's new interim government, headed by former rebel militia leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, under even more pressure. It's most urgent task now is to end the violence in Sweida — permanently. That necessitates reconciliation between different community groups in the country, groups that have been split for decades, with the previous authoritarian Assad regime using their differences to remain in power. The violence in Sweida between Druze and Sunni-Bedouins is not the first of its kind since the Assad regime was ousted in December. In March, clashes between members of the Alawite minority and other Syrians saw around 1,500 people killed, including many civilians. It's possible that members of militias close to the Syrian government were responsible for some of the crimes committed in Alawite-majority areas. The Assad family, which ruled Syria for over four decades, were also Alawites, and some Syrians mistakenly see the whole community as supporting the brutal dictatorship. Government struggles to unify Syria An investigation into the March events has just been handed to the interim government. The fact-finding committee concluded that more than 1,426 people were killed and that there was widespread criminal activity, including killing and looting, but that Syrian military commanders did not order any of these acts. The government will have to decide how to act on the report. Al-Sharaa faces significant challenges, said Middle East expert Carsten Wieland, who has written several books about Syria. Recent events have undermined al-Sharaa's claim that he can be president for all Syrians, in a unified country. "Many Syrians are growing skeptical of a state that apparently does not have its own security forces under control," Wieland told DW. This makes the fact-finding report all the more important, he added. "It is of enormous importance that there are public explanations about who is responsible for what and that they are held accountable." Syria still has a long way to go, confirmed Ronja Herrschner, a lecturer in political studies and researcher in Middle East studies at the University of Tübingen in southern Germany. "Still, despite all his shortcomings, I've heard that al-Sharaa continues to enjoy a fairly good reputation, at least among Sunni Syrians," said Herrschner. "He's still seen as the man who liberated Syria from the Assad regime. That's why he continues to enjoy a certain degree of trust among Sunnis. But that's not necessarily true for members of [Syrian] minority groups." According to an op-ed in the pan-Arabic media outlet, Asharq al-Awsat, al-Sharaa is facing serious pressure from both outside and inside his government. External pressure comes from former supporters of the Assad regime, forces affiliated with Iran — Assad's former backer — and criminal groups involved with drug trafficking, with Assad funding his regime with money from manufacturing and selling the amphetamine Captagon. Internal pressure is also coming from more hardcore elements among al-Sharaa's own supporters. These more extremist-Islamist forces are likely to clash with community groups who don't share their worldview. That, in turn, could draw in foreign actors and start a new civil war, the newspaper comments. Communities seeking revenge Al-Sharaa's support base is actually quite thin, Wieland argue, with many of the fighters who support him thinking along sectarian lines. "This is the dangerous part of this younger generation," Wieland explained. "They constitute a political reality and the question is how al-Sharaa gets rid of these people without falling victim to them." After the various intercommunal conflicts, there are increasingly large numbers of community groups that also want to take revenge on others. "Al-Sharaa needs to get them under control too," said Wieland. Foreign allies are continuing to support al-Sharaa, said Herrschner. She explained that the US wants to withdraw from Syria altogether and can only do so if the country remains stable, a condition they hope al-Sharaa's interim government can achieve. "The same applies to the Gulf states," Herrschner told DW. "They too are naturally interested in stability in Syria. And that's why they too are counting on al-Sharaa." Wieland agreed, adding that Syrai's foreign allies don't want to see another proxy war starting there. "Israel is clearly pursuing the opposite goal at the moment," he said. "Namely to divide the society there, in order to weaken the country. This should raise alarm bells in a region where state failure and civil wars are widespread phenomena." This is precisely why the US recently opposed Israel's bombing of Syria, he added. Over the past week and a half, Israel again bombed Syria — including central Damascus — and said it was doing so in order to "protect" the Druze in Sweida. However, Israel then agreed to a ceasefire with the Syrian government, apparently under pressure from the US. An unstable and increasingly divided Syria is not in the interests of the US or the Europeans, said Wieland. "And at the moment, none of those countries sees an alternative to al-Sharaa."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store