SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Gunmen have shot at least 20 tourists at an Indian-controlled Kashmir resort, police said Tuesday that it appears to be a major change in the conflict in a region where tourists are largely spared.
Police described the incident as a “terrorist attack” and denounced extremists fighting India’s rule. “This attack is much greater than what we have been directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.
Two senior police officers said at least four gunmen, whom they described as extremists, have been fired by dozens of tourists from close range. Officers said at least three dozen others were injured, many in serious condition.
Most of the tourists killed were Indians, the official said he spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with departmental policies. Authorities have collected at least 20 bodies in Baisalang Meadow, about five kilometers (3 miles) from the conflict-zone resort town Pahargam.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Police and soldiers were searching for an attacker.
“We have the toughest consequences and heavy on the perpetrators,” India’s Home Minister Amit Shah wrote on social media. He arrived in Srinagar, the major city of Kashmir, controlled by India, and convened a meeting with top security authorities. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed on his official visit in Saudi Arabia.
Mirweiss Umar Farooq, a leading resistance politician and Kashmir’s top religious cleric, blamed him for calling it a “co-infectious attack on tourists,” writing that “such violence is unacceptable and contrary to the Kashmir spirit of welcoming visitors with love and warmth.”
The shootout coincided with US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to India, calling it a “devastating terrorist attack.” He added on social media: “In the past few days we have overcome the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrifying attack.”
Social media President Donald Trump said, “Deeply hindering news from Kashmir. The US is in a strong position with India against terrorism.”
Pahargam pastures are a popular destination, surrounded by snowy mountains and dotted with pine forests. Known for its Himalayan hills and exquisitely decorated houseboats, Kashmir attracts hundreds of tourists every day and has become a major domestic tourist destination.
Millions of visitors enjoyed the strange peace held by ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles and patrol soldiers.
Nuclearly armed rivals India and Pakistan each control part of Kashmir, but both claim the entire territory.
Kashmir has seen a string of targeted killings of Hindus, including migrant workers from Indian states, after New Delhi ended semi-autonomy in the region in 2019 and dramatically suppressed opposition, civil liberties and media freedoms.
Tensions are boiling down as India has stepped up its counterinsurgency operations. However, despite the huge number of tourists gather in Kashmir, they are not targeted.
Extremists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s domination since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris supports the rebels’ goal of integrating their territory under Pakistan’s control or as an independent state.
India claims that Kashmir militants are Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks. Pakistan has denied the accusation, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces were killed in the conflict.
The violence has recently faded in the Kashmir Valley, the heart of anti-Indian rebellion. The battle between government forces and rebels has shifted roughly to remote areas in the Jammu region, including Rajuli, Poonch and Katua, where Indian forces are facing deadly attacks.
