Sawt Falasteen - At least 24 killed in Kashmir attack on tourists

Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the "heinous act" in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging the attackers "will be brought to justice".

The killings come a day after Modi met with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India with his wife and children.

A tour guide told AFP he reached the scene of the attack after hearing gunfire and had transported some of the wounded away on horseback.

"I saw a few men lying on the ground looking like they were dead," said Waheed, who gave only one name.

The attack targeted tourists in Pahalgam, which lies 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar.

One security source said that foreign tourists were among those shot, but there was no official confirmation.

The senior local police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a massacre in which at least 24 people had been killed.

No group has claimed responsibility, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.

They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.

Vance offered condolences in a social media post, while President Donald Trump said "the United States stands strong with India against Terrorism."

Modi, who is in Saudi Arabia, has cut short his trip to return home, foreign ministry officials said.

- Males targeted -

An AFP reporter at Pahalgam spoke to another witness of the shooting who asked not to be identified.

"The militants, I can't say how many, came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing," said the witness, who cares for the horses that are popular with tourists in the area.

"They were clearly sparing women and kept shooting at men, sometimes single shot and sometimes many bullets, it was like a storm."

The witness said dozens of people fled as the gunmen opened fire.

"They all started running around in panic", he added.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that "the attack is much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years", with the death toll "still being ascertained".

"This attack on our visitors is an abomination," he said in a statement. "The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt."

- Holiday destination -

Medics at a hospital in Anantnag said they had received some of the wounded, including with gunshot wounds.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of India's main opposition Congress party, called the killings "heartbreaking".

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi's government revoked Kashmir's limited autonomy in 2019.

"Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger," Modi said in a statement.

In recent years, the authorities have promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for winter skiing, and to escape the sweltering summer heat elsewhere in India.

Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, the majority domestic visitors.

In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call "normalcy and peace" were returning after a massive crackdown.

A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.

Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir's struggle for self-determination.

The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.

The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 Indians were killed. That attack occurred on the eve of a visit by US president Bill Clinton.

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G.AbuHamad--SF-PST