Gunmen Kill More Than 20 People in Kashmir

At least 22 people have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a group of local tourists visiting a popular tourist attraction in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The Indian government said the attack took place in the picturesque town of Pahalgam, in the Himalayas, once called the “Switzerland of India.”

The region’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, said the attack was “bigger than any attack we have seen against civilians in recent years.”

Reports indicate that there are a large number of injured, with some in critical condition.

US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and European Union chief Ursula Von der Leyen are among the world leaders who condemned the attacks.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia following the attack – has said the perpetrators “will be brought to justice.”

Tuesday’s attack is unusual, in three and a half decades of war, as it is not often that tourists are targeted – especially on such a scale.

The region’s Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, said the army and police have been dispatched to the scene.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

There has been a long-running insurgency in the Muslim-majority region since 1989, although violence has declined in recent years.

The attack took place in Baisaran, a high mountain area three miles (5km) from Pahalgam.

Vehicles cannot reach the area where the shooting took place, said Jammu and Kashmir Inspector General Vidi Kumar Birdi.

A video clip circulated by Indian media shows Indian soldiers running towards the scene of the attack, while another video shows victims saying the gunmen had sidelined non-Muslims.

Police said several tourists were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. The area has been cordoned off with soldiers stopping vehicles at checkpoints. A joint search operation by the Indian army and Jammu and Kashmir police is underway.

Several protests have been organized on Wednesday, according to Indian media.

Since the 1990s, armed separatist insurgents seeking secession from Indian rule in the region have claimed thousands of lives, including civilians and security forces.

The Himalayan region was divided following India’s independence from Britain, leading to the creation of the nation of Pakistan in 1947.

The two nuclear-armed states both claim the territory as their own and have fought two wars and other minor conflicts.

500,000 Indian troops have been deployed to the region since then.

The last major attack on civilians occurred in June 2024, when nine people were killed and 33 injured after militants opened fire on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims.