What is People’s Anti-Fascist Front, terror outfit that claimed responsibility for Poonch attack?

Poonch terror attack: Seven terrorists from two different groups were involved in the Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir terror strike that left five Army soldiers dead. The terrorists are members of Pakistani nationalist organisations, it was noted. 

According to intelligence sources, the terrorists who assaulted an Army vehicle on Thursday did so with the assistance of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) over ground personnel who are operating in J&K's Rajouri. India Today previously learned that the attack was carried out by the People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), a terror organisation supported by the Jaish. Terrorists from the LeT, however, might have taken part in the assault.

What is the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF)?
The People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) is a military group engaged in the current conflict in Jammu and Kashmir between Kashmiri separatists and Indian security forces.  India asserts that it’s a division of the Lashkra-e-taiba. 

PAFF organisation was discussed for the first time when Article 370 was removed in J&K in 2019. 

According to reports, it claims that Masood Azhar, the leader of the Pakistani terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, founded the People's Anti-Fascist Front. Mufti Azgar Kashmiri has been charged with running operations in POK and Kashmir for this organisation. Mufti Abdul Rauf Azhar, the second brother of Masood Azhar, is in charge of all organization-related operations. 

The group has often threatened the government and the army since Article 370 was repealed in Kashmir. In 2020, PAFF published a video threatening to demonstrate in opposition to Israel's Centre of Excellence's building in Kashmir. 

List of a few attacks in J&K that PAFF claims responsibility for:

• PAFF militants claimed responsibility for the murder of BJP leader Rakesh Pandita in June 2021.
• Four Indian soldiers were killed in an attack on Indian forces during Eid ul-Adha in the Rajouri district, which PAFF claimed responsibility for.
• 9 Indian soldiers were killed in an attack at Mendhar, in the Poonch district's jungles, for which PAFF took responsibility in 2021. 
• Hemant Lohia, the director general of prisons in J&K, was assassinated at his home while Home Minister Amit Shah was present in 2022.