Pakistan-Backed TRF-LeT-PMML Nexus Sums Up 21st-Century Hybrid Warfare: Sources
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This situation mirrors LeT's 2008 Mumbai attacks, executed under pseudonyms like Deccan Mujahideen, the sources said
The thin line between Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and The Resistance Front (TRF) was shattered following rallies in Pakistan on May 28, Indian intelligence sources have told CNN-News18. The world must take note of these global jihadists backed by the state of Pakistan and its military leadership, they added.
'The TRF-LeT-PMML nexus epitomises 21st-century hybrid warfare, where TRF masks violence, Pakistan Markazi Muslim League spreads ideology, and the Pakistani state ensures deniability. This ecosystem is evidenced by the increasing frequency of attacks from Pahalgam to Reasi, carried out with complete deniability," said a source.
This situation mirrors LeT's 2008 Mumbai attacks, executed under pseudonyms like Deccan Mujahideen, the sources said. LeT and TRF employ grey zone tactics, such as disinformation and proxy attacks, similar to Russia's hybrid warfare in Crimea, they added.
'The merging of operational roles between Lashkar and TRF marks their foray into hybrid warfare, blending kinetic terrorism with political legitimisation and state-backed impunity," a source said. 'The TRF-LeT-PMML alliance operates a successful hybrid mechanism."
According to the sources, TRF functions as LeT's operational front, claiming attacks like the Pahalgam massacre, where 26 people, mostly Indian Hindus, were killed, providing LeT with deniability. Saifullah Khalid later boasted about the Pahalgam attack at a Pakistan Markazi Muslim League rally, claiming global recognition.
PMML rallies are attended by LeT leaders, such as Saifullah Khalid (PMML president) and Talha Saeed (son of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed), said sources. This illustrates the merging of terrorist ideology with mainstream politics, with even the Punjab assembly speaker present on stage, they added.
'They have state approval to celebrate events like Youm-e-Takbeer, Pakistan's nuclear test day, which grants LeT legitimacy while laundering recruitment and funding through activities like blood donation camps," a source told CNN-News18. 'LeT finances TRF operations via PMML front companies and charities like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). Earlier US treasury designations confirm PMML as an LeT alias. Gulf donations often reach Pakistan, where ISI allocates significant funds to TRF and LeT for operations in Kashmir. TRF and LeT operate in phases, as seen in the Pahalgam attack. Phase 1: TRF claimed responsibility, framing the attack as indigenous resistance. Phase 2: LeT validation, with Khalid admitting the role at a PMML rally, and Indian intelligence tracing attackers to LeT safe houses."
In June 2024, TRF claimed a bus attack on Hindu pilgrims in Reasi, but forensic analysis linked the weapons to LeT smuggling networks. This tactic of targeting minorities to incite communal conflict is similar to LeT's 2008 Mumbai strategy, said sources.
Post-2019, when India abrogated Article 370 sections in Jammu and Kashmir, LeT created TRF as a secular front, sources said. Despite the branding, 80% of TRF cadres are trained in LeT's Pakistani camps, they added.
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