At least 20 suspected dead in militant attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir, security officials say

At least 20 suspected dead in militant attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir, security officials say

SRINAGAR, India, April 22 (Reuters) - At least 20 are feared dead after suspected militants ambushed tourists in India's Jammu and Kashmir region on Tuesday, three security officials said, the worst militant attack on civilians in the strife-torn Himalayan region for years.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist destination in the picturesque, hilly area where mass tourism, particularly in the summer months, has returned as Islamist militant violence has abated in recent years.

One of the security sources estimated the number of dead at 20, while the second estimated it at 24 and the third at 26. None of them would give their names since they were not authorised to address the media.

"The firing took place in front of us," said one witness to broadcaster India Today, without revealing his name. "We thought someone was exploding firecrackers, but when we heard others (screaming), we immediately fled from there., saved our lives and fled."

"For four kilometers, we never stopped. I am trembling," said another witness to India Today.

The attack was conducted in an off-road meadow and two or three militants participated, according to the Indian Express newspaper, quoting an unnamed senior police officer.

"The casualty count is still being determined so I don't want to go into those specifics," Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted. "Needless to say, this attack is significantly bigger than anything we've experienced targeted at civilians in years."

The victims' nationalities were not yet known.

A lesser-known militant group, the "Kashmir Resistance," said it was behind the attack in a social media posting. It complained that over 85,000 "outsiders" had been settled there, creating a "demographic change."

"Accordingly, violence will be turned against those trying to settle illegally," it wrote.

Reuters could not confirm the authenticity of the message.

The Jammu and Kashmir state government, where Pahalgam is situated, informed its legislature this month that almost 84,000 non-locals from within India had been accorded domicile status in the region over the past two years.

SECURITY MEETING

"Those responsible for this nefarious act will be brought to justice. They will not be spared!" Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on X. "Their nefarious design will never fructify. Our determination to combat terrorism remains unbreakable and it will become even stronger."

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah announced that he was hurrying to Kashmir to convene a security meeting.

The Himalayan region, claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, has been prone to militant violence since the start of an anti-Indian insurgency in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years.

India ended Kashmir's special status in 2019 by dividing the state into two federally governed regions - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The step also enabled local administrations to issue domicile rights to non-residents, enabling them to find employment and purchase property in the region.

It resulted in a souring of relations with Pakistan, which also claims the area. The conflict has been at the center of deep-seated animosity and military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Terrorist attacks on tourists in Kashmir are now a rarity. The last fatal attack occurred in June 2024 when nine or more people were killed and 33 injured as a result of a militant attack that forced a bus traveling with Hindu pilgrims into a deep gorge.

A few high-profile militant attacks in the midst of the insurgency's peak coincided with high-level foreign official visits to India, possibly to garner international interest in Kashmir, Indian security officials have asserted.

The attack occurred one day after U.S. Vice President JD Vance embarked on a four-day, primarily private trip to India.