United Nations, July 30, 2025 : The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility twice for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and also released a photo from the attack site, according to the latest UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions monitoring report.
The 36th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team—submitted to the UNSC’s 1267 Sanctions Committee—states that five terrorists attacked a tourist site in Pahalgam, killing 26 civilians. TRF claimed responsibility on the same day and again on April 23, before retracting the claim on April 26. No other group has claimed the attack since.
The report cites assertions from member states linking the attack to Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), with some describing TRF as synonymous with LeT. However, one member state rejected this view, claiming LeT was “defunct.”
The report also highlights growing regional instability, warning that terrorist groups could exploit these tensions. Following the Pahalgam attack, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ targeting terror infrastructure across the Line of Control, while Pakistan reportedly lobbied to remove TRF’s name from the UNSC press statement issued on April 25.
In July, the United States designated TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
The UN report also raised concerns about ISIL-K, calling it the most serious regional and global threat, with an estimated 2,000 fighters. The group continues to recruit across Central and South Asia, including minors trained in Afghan madrassas.
Additionally, the report notes that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), with approximately 6,000 fighters, maintains close links with ISIL-K and receives support from Afghanistan’s de facto authorities. The TTP was also said to share training camps in southern Afghanistan with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which recently carried out a deadly hijacking of the Jaffar Express, killing 31.
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) was also flagged as showing rising confidence and operational ambition in the region.
