At least 20 people are feared dead after suspected militants attacked civilians in India’s Kashmir region on Tuesday. It is the worst attack in the territory in nearly a year.
The group opened fire on people near Pahalgam, a popular destination drawing thousands of visitors every summer, increasing as militant violence has lessened in recent years.
The town is located near the Chinese border in the scenic Muslim-majority Kashmir territory.
Those injured have been taken to a local hospital, police sources told reporters.
Security sources said at least 20 were feared dead. Among them were at least five tourists. Many others have been injured.
Police have called the shooting a “terror attack” and blamed militants fighting Indian rule.
“This attack is much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, the region's top elected official, wrote on social media.
"The death toll is still being ascertained so I don't want to get into those details," he said.
"This attack is much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years," Omar Abdullah, the region's top elected official, wrote on social media.
Initial reports say the gunmen shot bullets at mostly Indian tourits visiting Baisaran meadow, around three miles from Pahalgam. The meadow is a top sightseeing destination, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with pine forests. It is visited by hundreds of tourists every day.
The attack coincided with the visit to India of US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a largely personal four-day visit.
The Himalayan region, which is claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, has been gripped by militant violence since the start of an anti-Indian insurgency in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years.
Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels' goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
Attacks targeting tourists in Kashmir have been rare in recent years, but not unknown.
The last major attack on visitors in the federal territory took place in June when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured when a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims plunged into a deep gorge after militants attacked it.
India revoked Kashmir's special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The move led to a downgrading of ties with Pakistan, which also claims the region.
India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.
