At least 20 individuals were feared eliminated after believed militants opened fire on travelers in India& rsquo; s Jammu and Kashmir area on Tuesday, 3 security sources said, the worst attack on civilians in the troubled Himalayan region for several years, Reuters reported.The attack took place in Pahalgam, a popular location in the scenic, mountainous area where mass tourist, especially during the summer season, has actually resurged as Islamist militant violence has actually eased in current years.One security source put the death toll at 20; the second put it at 24 and the 3rd at 26.
All 3 spoke on condition of privacy as they were not authorised to speak with the media.& ldquo; The shooting happened in front of us, & rdquo; one witness told broadcaster India Today, without offering his name.
& ldquo; We believed somebody was triggering firecrackers, however when we heard other people (yelling), we rapidly left there & hellip; conserved our lives and ran.& rdquo; & ldquo; For four kilometers, we did not stop & hellip; I am shaking, & rdquo; another witness told India Today.The attack occurred in an off-the-road meadow and two or 3 militants were involved, the Indian Express newspaper reported, pointing out an unidentified senior law enforcement officers.& ldquo; The death toll is still being ascertained so I don& rsquo; t want to enter into those details, & rdquo; Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated in a post on X.
& ldquo; Needless to say, this attack is much larger than anything we& rsquo; ve seen directed at civilians over the last few years.& rdquo; The citizenships of the victims were not right away understood, read the report.A little-known militant group, the & ldquo; Kashmir Resistance, & rdquo; claimed obligation for the attack in a social networks message.
It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 & ldquo; outsiders & rdquo; had been settled in the area, spurring a & ldquo; group modification & rdquo;.
& ldquo; Consequently, violence will be directed towards those trying to settle illegally, & rdquo; it said.Reuters might not independently verify the source of the message.The local government of Jammu and Kashmir, where Pahalgam lies, informed its legislature this month that almost 84,000 non-locals, from within India, had been provided domicile rights in the area in the last two years.& ldquo; Those behind this heinous act will be taken to court & hellip; They will not be spared! & rdquo; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi published on X.
& ldquo; Their evil program will never ever succeed.
Our resolve to combat terrorism is unwavering and it will get even more powerful.& rdquo; Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said he was rushing to Kashmir to hold a security meeting.In Washington, the White House said United States President Donald Trump had been informed on what a White House representative described as a & ldquo; harsh terrorist attack.& rdquo; India & rsquo; s foreign ministry consequently said Trump called Modi and & ldquo; revealed complete assistance to India to haul into court the wrongdoers of this heinous attack.& rdquo; Militant violence has actually afflicted the Himalayan area, claimed completely however ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, given that an anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989.
Tens of countless people have been eliminated, although violence has actually reduced recently, Reuters reported.India withdrawed Kashmir& rsquo; s special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered areas -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The move allowed local authorities to release domicile rights to outsiders, enabling them to get tasks and purchase land in the territory.That resulted in a degeneration of ties with Pakistan, which also claims the area.
The dispute has stimulated bitter bitterness and military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.Attacks targeting travelers in Kashmir have become rare.
The last deadly incident occurred in June 2024 when at least 9 individuals were killed and 33 hurt after a militant attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge.Some major militant attacks during the height of the revolt accompanied visits from prominent foreign authorities to India, in most likely efforts to draw global attention to Kashmir, Indian security agencies have said.Tuesday& rsquo; s attack came a day after United States Vice President JD Vance began a four-day, largely individual check out to India.The post At least 20 feared eliminated in militant attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir, security sources say initially appeared on TINS News.