At least 26 foreign tourists were killed in an armed attack near the Indian town of Pahalgam (Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir), Indian media reported on Wednesday.
A group of tourists were climbing up a mountain trail in the Baisaran valley. At that moment, unidentified miscreants opened fire on them with firearms.
The dead include Indian nationals from different states, two locals and tourists from Nepal and UAE. A naval officer and an intelligence officer were also killed.
Local authorities labelled the incident as a terrorist attack.
“Our resolve to fight terrorism is unwavering and will grow even stronger,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X.
“This attack is much bigger than all those that have targeted civilians in recent years,” regional head Omar Abdullah said.
The Resistance Front, a group linked to Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist organisation banned in India, claimed responsibility for the attack. A statement from the militants said the attack was a “response” to the “infestation” of Kashmir by newcomers.
Modi cut short a visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to Delhi. The interior minister flew to Srinagar. The military has been deployed to the area of the attack and a combing operation is underway. Schools have been closed in the district, tourists are being removed, airlines have launched additional flights from Srinagar.
The Kashmir region is a disputed territory between India and Pakistan. New Delhi claims Islamabad is supporting extremists in the region. Pakistan denies the allegations. Between April and October 2024, Indian authorities said 44 people were killed in militant attacks in Kashmir.
