Gunmen kill at least 26 in Indian-administered Kashmir: Police
Police say multiple tourists suffer gunshot wounds in attack that comes during heavy military crackdown in region.
03:17
Gunmen attack tourists in Indian-administrated Kashmir in deadliest attack on civilians in years
Published On 22 Apr 202522 Apr 2025
|
Updated:
4 minutes ago
Armed men opened fire on a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing at least 26 people, according to Indian police, in one of the deadliest attacks there in recent times.
Police said multiple tourists received gunshot wounds in the “terror attack” on Tuesday while they were visiting Baisaran meadow, some 5km (3 miles) from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3
list 2 of 3
list 3 of 3
end of list
“This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.
Indian police told The Associated Press (AP) news agency that at least 26 people were killed and 17 wounded in the attack.
A little-known group, the “Kashmir Resistance,” claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 “outsiders” had been settled in the region, spurring what it called a “demographic change”.
Indian security agencies say Kashmir Resistance is a front for Pakistan-based militant organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, which fight Indian rule in Kashmir. Pakistan has said it only provides moral and diplomatic support to the insurgency.
Advertisement
Security forces launched a hunt for the attackers while the wounded were rushed to hospitals.
Two senior police officers also told AP that at least four gunmen fired at dozens of tourists from close range. All of those killed were men and all but one were residents of India, according to a hospital list cited by the AFP news agency.
A tour guide in Pahalgam told AFP he approached the scene after hearing gunfire and helped transport some of the wounded away on horseback. Waheed, who gave only one name, said he saw several men lying dead on the ground. Another witness told AFP that the attackers were “clearly sparing women”.
Indian security analyst C Uday Bhaskar told Al Jazeera the attack likely had two major objectives: to draw global attention to the issue of Kashmir – which has been under an intensified
military crackdown since its
semi-autonomous status was revoked by the Indian government about six years ago – and deepen military tensions between India and Pakistan.
Sign up for Al Jazeera
Breaking News Alert
Get real-time breaking news alerts and stay up-to-date with the most important headlines from around the globe.
Subscribe
By signing up, you agree to our
Privacy Policy
protected by
reCAPTCHA
Given that the attack has made headlines across the world “is indicative of the fact that the first box has been ticked,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short an official visit to Saudi Arabia after the attack, decried the “heinous act”, pledging that the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
In a separate incident in Kashmir’s Barumulla district, the army reported Wednesday killing two gunmen in a “heavy exchange of fire” after they launched an “infiltration bid” crossing from Pakistan.
Advertisement
Police say multiple tourists suffered gunshot wounds in attack that comes during heavy military crackdown in region.
www.aljazeera.com