Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) backed new Kashmiri terror group The Resistance Front (TRF) is suspected as the prime terror outfit behind targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir in the past few days that led the Centre to call a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday at his North Block office. “The TRF, which is an offshoot of LeT, has been created by Pakistan in an apparent bid to make terrorist groups in Kashmir look like indigenous ones. The group has been getting regular support from the neighbouring country,” said officials in National Investigation Agency (NIA).
IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar told an agency that the state police’s intelligence inputs as well as previous records of the terror acts committed by the TRF clearly raise fingers towards the group behind the recent target killings in the valley. When asked about the prime suspect behind targeted killings in Kashmir, Kumar responded with “LeT (TRF)”. The officer said the police has got some key leads against LeT’s TRF wing and its supports and appealed to the minority communities not to panic as the security forces are maintaining peace to secure a safe environment and to ensure better law and order in the valley.
Sources in the intelligence agencies underscored the killing of two TRF terrorists identified as Abbas Sheikh, the top Commander of LeT and self-claimed chief of TRF, and his deputy Saqib Manzoor in Srinagar’s Aloochi Bagh area in August end during a shootout between terrorists and Jammu and Kashmir Police. “As per police records, both the killed terrorists were involved in the elimination of several political workers, police personnel and civilians. Saqib Manzoor was involved in the killing of Advocate Babar Qadri last year,” said the agency sources, adding that the pattern of recent killings has raised fingers towards TRF’s prime role.
Besides, the sources said, the TRF terrorists have been involved in several grenade attacks on security establishments as well as in several other terror crimes and civilian atrocities. As per J&K Police data, 28 civilians have been killed by terrorists this year so far that include five from local Hindu or Sikh communities and two non-local Hindu labourers.
Both Jammu and Kashmir Police and agency sources confirmed that the recent attacks on civilians are a part of the new strategy of LeT’s TRF wing to spread terror among residents and security forces as the terrorist handlers have got frustrated due to the killing of huge numbers of terrorists of all outfits especially their leaderships, destruction of their support structures and continuous and effective maintenance of law and order in the valley.