Gunmen killed at least 26 people and injured a dozen others in a suspected terror attack in the disputed Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, a rare assault on tourists in an area fraught by decades of insurgency and opposition to India’s rule.
The devastating massacre targeted sightseers in a popular tourist destination in Pahalgam, in the mountainous Anantnag district, and is the region’s worst assault on civilians in years. A group of tourists were fired on by suspected militants, authorities said. Most of the 26 people killed are understood to be travelers.
Among the victims was a Nepali national, and another person of “Indian origin who works in the Middle East,” V K Birdi, inspector general of police in Kashmir, told CNN.
He added that the attack took place in a part of the Baisaran Valley – which is only accessible by foot or on horseback. The deadly assault unfolded in a meadow, with mountainous ridges nearby, that stretched several miles without any car roads, he said.
Survivors described horror as the attack unfolded and a scene of devastation wrought by the gunmen.
One eyewitness told the news agency Press Trust of India that unidentified gunmen opened fire on the tourists from close range.
“My husband was shot in the head while seven others were also injured in the attack,” one woman survivor said, according to PTI.
Another survivor, Asavari Jagdale, told PTI the gunmen came into the tent where her family was hiding. The attackers accused the family – hailing from India’s western Pune city – of supporting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before shooting Jagdale’s male relatives, including her father, she said.
Local resident Abdul Waheed told CNN he jumped on his pony to help transport the injured back to areas where they could be driven to the hospital, and enlisted others in his local pony association to help. For those who were too injured, they used makeshift cots to carry them down the valley.
“I saw people crying, screaming, just lying in the aftermath of the attack. There were children, women, men, everyone,” he said. “It was a massive trauma. I did not sleep all night.”
‘Stop terrorism’
A little-known militant group called The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, voicing discontent at “outsiders” who had settled in the region and caused a “demographic change.” It did not provide evidence, and CNN cannot independently verify its claim.
Birdi told CNN authorities were aware the group had claimed responsibility, but said they were still investigating the matter. As of Wednesday, authorities are now carrying out medical examinations on the victims, and arranging planes to transport the bodies and their families.
The picturesque Himalayan region, administered in part by both India and Pakistan though still disputed by both sides, is often rife with violence – but attacks on tourists are rare.
In a statement on X, Modi condemned the attack and sent his condolences to those who had been affected. “Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice… they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed,” he said.
By Tuesday night, outraged residents had gathered in the region to protest. Videos of the protest show a crowd chanting slogans, holding candles and signs that read: “Stop terrorism.” Other signs called for the resignation of Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah.
Following the attack, Modi cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Indian Army corps responsible for military operations in the area of the attack said a search operation was underway to bring “the attackers to justice.”
Shah, the home minister, arrived in the region on Tuesday and chaired a high-level security meeting, his office said.
India has long accused Pakistan of harboring Islamist militant groups that target Kashmir, something Islamabad denies. Attacks by militants have in the past led to a sharp escalation of tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbors, both of whom have rival claims to the Himalayan region. India conducted air strikes inside Pakistan in 2019 following an insurgent attack on Indian soldiers.
A spokesperson from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended condolences to the victims, adding: “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.”
The attack came a day after US Vice President JD Vance arrived in India for a visit with his family. On Tuesday, he shared condolences on X, writing: “Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack.”
US President Donald Trump also condemned the attack, expressing US solidarity with India against terrorism and calling Modi to convey his condolences, according to Indian authorities.
Other leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, France, Italy and the UAE also expressed condemnation.
A restive region
Claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan, the mountainous Kashmir region has been at the epicenter of an often-violent territorial struggle between the nuclear-armed neighbors for more than 70 years. The region is one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints, and a de facto border called the Line of Control divides the areas overseen by New Delhi and Islamabad.
Throughout the past two decades, several domestic militant groups, demanding either independence for Kashmir or for the area to become part of Pakistan, have fought Indian security forces, with tens of thousands of people killed in the violence.
Violence surged in 2018, and the Indian government took greater control of the region in 2019 amid a heavy military presence and a monthslong communications blackout.
While the Indian government has said that militancy has since been reduced, attacks continue to plague the region.
An ambulance drives on a road near the Pahalgam attack on Tuesday. – Stringer/Reuters
On Tuesday, a regional spokesperson from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Pakistan of fueling terrorism in the region, and called the attack an “outcome of Pakistan’s frustration.”
“Pakistan and its proxies are unable to digest the return of peace and tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. They want to stifle growth and plunge the region back into fear. But we won’t allow that to happen,” Altaf Thakur said.
Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif denied any link to the attack.
“We have nothing to do with this, and we do not support terrorism anywhere,” he said in a TV interview with a Pakistani news outlet.
Pahalgam lies on a major pilgrimage route, known as the Amarnath Yatra, which takes place every year and has been exposed to previous attacks.
Thousands of tourists flock to Kashmir during its peak season each year, which runs from March to August.
The last major attack on tourists in the region took place in June. At least nine people were killed and 33 others injured when a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims plunged into a gorge, after suspected militants fired on the vehicle.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Mukhtar Ahmad reported from Kashmir, Esha Mitra reported from New Delhi, Sophia Saifi reported from Islamabad and Kara Fox wrote from London.
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