By Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) -Suspected militants opened fire in India’s Kashmir region on Tuesday, killing at least five tourists and wounding eight other people, a police source told Reuters, in the worst such attack in the territory in nearly a year.
The attack took place in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the scenic Muslim-majority territory that has drawn thousands of summer visitors as militant violence has eased in recent years.
The injured were sent to a local hospital, the source said on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
“The death toll is still being ascertained so I don’t want to get into those details,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted on X. “Needless to say this attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
A little-known militant group called the “Kashmir Resistance” claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that over 85,000 “outsiders” had been settled in the region, spurring a “demographic change.”
“Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally,” it said.
Reuters could not independently verify the source of the message.
The local government of Jammu and Kashmir, where Pahalgam is located, told the legislature this month that nearly 84,000 non-locals, from within India, were given domicile rights in the territory in the last two years.
“Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice…they will not be spared!” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. “Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”
TIES FRAY FURTHER
The Himalayan region, claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, has been roiled 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.
India revoked Kashmir’s special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The move also allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the territory.
That led to a deterioration of ties with Pakistan, which also claims the region. The dispute has been at the root of bitter animosity and military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Attacks targeting tourists in Kashmir have been rare in recent years. The last major attack on visitors took place in June, when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured after a militant attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge.
Some major militant attacks during the height of the insurgency coincided with visits from high-profile foreign officials to India, in likely attempts to draw global attention to Kashmir, Indian security agencies have said.
Tuesday’s attack came a day after U.S. Vice President JD Vance began a four-day, largely personal visit to India.
(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Writing by Surbhi Misra and YP Rajesh; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
