At least 26 tourists were killed in Kashmir in the north of India after they were shot by extremists. Those familiar with the situation say that the attack could be a provocation aimed at the Indian government
Police say at least 26 people were killed and dozens wounded when extremists opened fire on tourists in the restive northern province of Kashmir on Tuesday (April 22nd). India.
The massacre took place in the tourist town of Pahalgam at the foot of the Himalayas, in a picturesque area that can only be reached on foot or on horseback. Deutsche Welle (DW).
Among the victims are mostly Indian tourists, as well as one person from Nepal, according to officials. Some media speculate that one victim each comes from Israel and Italy.
India's Home Minister Amit Shah spoke about “terroristattack, but did not give details.
The media, on the other hand, are widely reporting that the Resistance Front group took responsibility for the attack (The Resistance Front), claiming that "newcomers" are causing "demographic changes" in the region.
The little-known group split off from the banned Islamist terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. They are to blame for a series of attacks in the metropolis of Mumbai in November 2008. Then 175 people were killed, among them nine extremists.
Targeted attack
According to the testimonies of the survivors, the attack was targeted. The killers walked up to people and fired at close range, allegedly targeting Hindus or accusing them of supporting nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"My husband was shot in the head," one woman told a local Indian news agency.
CNN reports the words of a local man who says that he used his horse to help carry the injured to the road to take them to the hospital.
"I saw people crying, screaming and lying on the ground after the attack. There were children, women, men, everyone," he said. "Big trauma. I didn't sleep a wink last night."
It is the biggest attack on civilians in Kashmir in recent years. "Those responsible for this atrocity will be brought to justice. They will not be spared," PM Modi wrote on the X network.
I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.
Those behind this heinous act will be brought…
- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2025
The police and the army isolated the area of the attack and started searching for the attackers.
Decades of war
Those familiar with the situation say that the attack could be a provocation aimed at the Indian government.
Kashmir has been the subject of conflict and two open wars for decades, as the entire area is claimed by both India and neighboring Pakistan. The focal point was created after the withdrawal of the British colonial administration.
Extremist attacks are not uncommon in the Indian part of Kashmir. In 2019, India divided the area into two administrative regions – one is Jammu and Kashmir, the other is Ladakh. Both regions are under the strict control of the central authorities.
Most of Kashmir belongs to Pakistan and India, a fraction belongs to China.
India maintains about half a million soldiers in the region, who have been fighting the rebels there since 1989. Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels have died since then.
The last major attack took place last June when a bus carrying Indian pilgrims crashed after an armed attack. Nine people died.
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