AT least 20 tourists have been killed after gunmen opened fire in an area of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Cops described the shooting as being near the resort town of Pahalgam on Tuesday as a “terror attack,” blaming it on militants fighting Indian rule.
ReutersAn ambulance drives following a suspected militant attack, near Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district[/caption]
APParamedic carries a wounded tourist on a stretcher at a hospital in Anantnag after assailants indiscriminately fired at tourists visiting Pahalgam, Indian controlled Kashmir[/caption]
Two senior police officers said at least four gunmen, whom they described as militants, fired at dozens of tourists from close range.
The officers said at least three dozen others were injured, many in serious condition.
Most of the tourists killed were Indian, the officers said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy.
Officials collected at least 20 bodies in Baisaran meadow, some five kilometers (3 miles) from the disputed regions resort town of Pahalgam.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Police and soldiers were searching for the attackers.
Indias home minister, Amit Shah, wrote on social media: “We will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences.”
The gunfire coincided with the visit to India of US Vice President JD Vance, who called it a devastating terrorist attack.
He added on social media: “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 on social media noted “deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir”.
He added: “The United States stands strong with India against terrorism.”
The meadow in Pahalgam is a popular destination, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with pine forests.
It is visited by hundreds of tourists every day as Kashmir, known for Himalayan foothills and exquisitely decorated houseboats, has become a major domestic tourist destination.
It has drawn millions of visitors who enjoy a strange peace kept by ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers.
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
Kashmir has seen a spate of targeted killings of Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, after New Delhi ended the regions semi-autonomy in 2019 and drastically curbed dissent, civil liberties and media freedoms.
Tensions have been simmering as India has intensified its counterinsurgency operations.
But despite tourists flocking to Kashmir in huge numbers, they have not been targeted.
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