The terror group known as The Resistance Front (TRF), supported by Pakistan and affiliated with the extremist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, asserted its involvement in the recent attack on a bus transporting pilgrims in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
This assault resulted in the tragic deaths of 10 tourists and inflicted injuries on 33 others. The TRF cautioned about additional assaults targeting tourists and individuals from outside the region. The faction, which originated from the LeT, labeled the Reasi incident as the “beginning of a renewed start.”
Several of the individuals affected have been recognized, including the bus driver and conductor. The majority hailed from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Specifically, the bus driver and conductor, who tragically lost their lives during the assault, were residents of Reasi.
Among those wounded, 34 were from Uttar Pradesh, 5 from Delhi, and 2 from Rajasthan. According to survivors’ accounts, the assailants persisted in shooting at the bus even after it plunged into the gorge. One survivor mentioned that the attackers descended into the gorge and kept firing for a while as passengers remained silent, pretending to be deceased.
Security has been strengthened in the area, and a large-scale search operation is underway to apprehend the terrorists, according to India Today citing Home Ministry sources. These sources revealed that the perpetrators of the Reasi bus attack were Pakistani nationals affiliated with a long-standing group active in the southern Pir Panjal region for two years.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken charge of investigating the attack on pilgrims, employing drones to scour the thick vegetation near the attack site. Additionally, a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team has joined the effort.
According to sources, 2-3 terrorists carried out the Reasi bus attack and have since escaped. The attack occurred as the bus was returning from the Shiv Khori Temple to Katra.
The Indian government officially declared the TRF as a terrorist group in 2023. It was established in 2019 following the repeal of Article 370 and the special status accorded to Jammu & Kashmir. Since the revocation of Article 370 from J&K, it has been implicated in numerous terrorist incidents.