On April 22, 2025, several terrorists carried out a deadly assault primarily targeting Hindu tourists in the Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir, India. At least 26 people were killed—including two foreign nationals, one from the United Arab Emirates and one from Nepal—and more than 20 others were injured. This marked the deadliest attack on civilians in Kashmir in over two decades. The Resistance Front (TRF), a relatively new group that emerged online in 2019, claimed responsibility. The attack was likely masterminded by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Saifullah Kasuri also known as Saifullah Khalid, a close aid of LeT Leader Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.
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TRF is clearly not an independent entity—it functions as an offshoot of LeT, a Pakistan-based terrorist organization responsible for many of India’s most lethal attacks, including the 2005 Delhi bombings, the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, the 2008 Mumbai coordinated attacks, and the 2008 Jaipur bombings. By using a proxy like TRF, LeT employs a "hidden hand" strategy that allows it to maintain plausible deniability and avoid direct international backlash—an approach that is especially critical now, as the group supports al-Qaeda’s external plotting efforts from Afghanistan.
Over the past two decades, many LeT fighters gained combat experience fighting alongside the Taliban against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, echoing the group’s early origins when it used Afghanistan as a training ground during the 1990s mujahideen era. That shared battlefield history has brought LeT closer to the Afghan Taliban, particularly since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. With the Taliban now in control, LeT has moved parts of its operations—including training camps—into Afghan territory, especially in Nangarhar Province. Eyewitnesses to the Pahalgam attack reported hearing Pashto spoken by at least two of the attackers, strongly suggesting Afghan-based training.
While some natural divergence is occurring—particularly as the Afghan Taliban enables attacks inside Pakistan by groups like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA)—there has been no formal break between the Pakistani military and Kashmiri-focused militants like LeT. These groups continue to align with Pakistani nationalism and remain a key tool for Islamabad to exert pressure on India. The Pahalgam attack shattered the perception of growing stability in Kashmir. In 2024, tourism reached record highs, driven in part by a heavy security presence. But complacency provided an opening.
Beyond traditional Kashmiri groups, the Islamic State also maintains a presence in the region. Commander Sharif—also known as Abu Usman Kashmiri—now leads the Islamic State–Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK). Reportedly from Jammu and Kashmir and related to Rukhsana Ahangar (wife of deceased ISJK leader Ejaz Amin Ahangar), Sharif previously served in Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind alongside Ejaz before aligning with ISIS. Since its emergence, ISJK has been involved in several attacks targeting Indian security forces and civilians, particularly in South Kashmir. Despite its relatively small operational scale compared to groups like LeT, ISJK has established itself as a disruptive force in the region, using asymmetric tactics to further ISIS’s agenda.
With Indian leadership vowing swift retaliation and regional tensions escalating, the risk of a renewed crisis between India and Pakistan looms large. India would be remiss, however, to overlook the crucial role being played by the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which, like Pakistan, provides sanctuary and supplies training, weapons, and financial support to a range of terrorist groups targeting India—not just LeT, but also groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad and ISIS. As the terrorist landscape continues to evolve, understanding the full spectrum of those enabling these groups is essential for an effective counterterrorism strategy.