Report

New Delhi – At least 20 tourists were killed when suspected militants opened fire in Indian-controlled Kashmir, and many were injured on Tuesday, according to reports from Indian and international media. Many media outlets, including French news agency AFP, listed unnamed security officials who put the death toll up to 24, but did not immediately confirm the casualties of the authorities.

Two senior police officers, who declined to be named, told the Associated Press that at least 20 bodies had been recovered after dozens of tourists opened fire at close range on Tuesday. At least thirty people were injured, many of them in serious condition, officials said.

The attack took place in the Pahalgam region in southern Kashmir, a scenic destination with meadows and glaciers scattered across it, attracting hundreds of thousands of Indian and foreign tourists each summer. The tourism traffic has increased over the past year last year as radical violence in the controversial wider Kashmir region between India and neighboring Pakistan gradually faded.

The injured person in the attack on Tuesday was taken to a nearby hospital. Police, Army and paramilitary forces launched search operations to find the people responsible for the attack.

“Our report says twenty-three militants appeared and opened an indistinguishable fire to tourists,” Indian Express The newspaper quoted a senior police officer as saying that it was not named.

“The death toll is still being determined, so I don’t want to introduce these details. As the situation becomes more obvious, they will be officially communicated. Needless to say, the attack is much bigger than anything we have seen in recent years,” Jamu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on social media.

Abdullah called the attack “shocking” and said there was no condemnation to punish those behind the shooting.

The attack was made by Vice President JD Vance, his wife Usha and their children To a large extent, it is personal visit Go to India. Vance met with Indian leader Narendra Modi earlier this week. Usha Vance is a practice Hindus whose parents are from India.

This is the worst attack in conflict areas in nearly a year, and it is a time for tourism recovery in Kashmir. this The final major attack It happened in June 2024, when nine people were killed and 33 injured, militants attacked a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims.

In 2017, militants attacked a bus, bringing them back from the famous Amanat Cave Temple in southern Kashmir, and were killed in a similar attack in the area, with 19 pilgrims injured in similar attacks in the area.

Kashmir is claimed by India and Pakistan, but each country has been in control of part of its own mountainous areas for decades.

Since the beginning of the armed anti-Indian insurgency in 1989, the scenic Himalayas have been frequently attacked by radical violence. The clash of elimination claims to have claimed tens of thousands of lives in more than three decades.

“I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks in Pahargam, Jamu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost loved ones. I pray for the earliest healing of wounded recovery.” “The people behind this outrageous act will be brought to justice… They will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our determination to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will become stronger.”

India’s interior minister Amit Shah said he would visit the region to review security measures.

Shah said in a social media post: “Terror attacks were hit by terrorist attacks in Pahargam, Jamu and Kashmir. My idea is to be with the families of the deceased and added: “Those involved in this terrorist act will not be spared, and we will seriously reduce the offenders with the worst consequences.” ”