At least 20 tourists killed at armed attack in Kashmir

At least twenty tourists died on Tuesday after armed men opened fire in a group of tourists who visited a popular tourist attraction in a part of the Kashmir region. That reports Reuters news agency. Possibly the death toll increases even further: a source spoke to the news agency of twenty dead, while a second set the number to 24 and a third out of 26. NRC Can’t verify that information.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a town in the Himalayas that is often described as the ‘Switzerland of India’. It is the deadliest attack in the area in almost a year. At least eight people would also have been injured.

« The death toll is still being determined, so I don’t want to make any statements about it yet, » wrote the highest driver of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, Tuesday on X. « It is clear that this attack is much greater than everything we have seen against civilians in recent years. »

A little -known militant group called ‘Kashmir Resistance’ was claiming responsibility for the attack on Tuesday via social media. According to Reuters news agency, the group expressed his displeasure about ‘outsiders’ who would have settled in the region, creating a ‘demographic change’. « As a result, the violence will be aimed at those who try to establish themselves illegally, » said the group.

The local government of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, where Pahalgam is located, reported earlier this month that nearly 84,000 people from outside the region settled in the area. These people mainly come from other parts of India.

« Those who are responsible for this atrocity will be called to account. They will not be saved! » wrote Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the attack on X. « Their malignant agenda will never succeed. Our determination to combat terrorism will only become stronger. »

Proportions on tension

The Kashmir region is a source of conflict between India and Pakistan, who both claim it, and is more often startled by armed attacks and military violence. Both countries control parts of the area. Since the start of an anti-indian rebellion in 1989, tens of thousands of people have died.

The violence has declined in recent years. Attacks on tourists in Kashmir were rare. The last major attack on visitors took place in June last year, when at least nine people died after a bus with Hindu-Pelgrims collapsed in a ravine through a militant attack.

In the past, attacks in the Kashmir region several times coincided with visits from prominent foreign officials to India. According to the Indian security services, that can be to attract attention to the situation in Kashmir. Tuesday’s attack took place during the four -day visit of the American vice president JD Vance to India.

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