India 26 dead in attack on tourists in Kashmir
In the Indian unrest region of Kashmir, suspected extremists have fired on tourists, killing at least 26 people, according to police reports. Most of the victims were visitors from various parts of India, as well as two people from the surrounding area, said police officials in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Several people were also injured in the attack in a recreational area near the resort town of Pahalgam. India's Home Minister Amit Shah spoke of an act of terrorism.
22.04.2025, 21:52
SDA
Shah did not give any details, but the newspaper "Greater Kashmir" reported that the group The Resistance Front had claimed responsibility for the attack. The group is a splinter group of the banned organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which is also held responsible for a series of attacks in the Indian business metropolis of Mumbai in November 2008. At the time, 175 people were killed, including 26 foreigners and nine of the extremists.
Targeted attack on tourists
Security forces assumed a targeted attack on visitors. According to the newspaper "The Hindu", two foreign visitors from Italy and Israel were among the victims. This attack was much bigger than the attacks that have targeted civilians in the region in recent years, the head of the government of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, wrote on social media. "Those behind this vicious act will be brought to justice.... they will not be spared," India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned on Platform X.
According to reports, the attack occurred in an area of mountain meadows where tourists were riding horses and enjoying the spring. Eyewitnesses reported that gunmen suddenly emerged from behind trees and shot at people at random. Police and soldiers then cordoned off the area. A search for the attackers was launched at the same time.
Kashmir region of unrest
In the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, extremist groups are fighting India's sovereignty over the region. The Indian part was divided into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh - in 2019, bringing it more under the control of the central government.
Most of the Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan. Both nuclear powers have already fought two wars for control of the entire Himalayan valley. A small part of Kashmir also belongs to China.
The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin advises against traveling to Jammu and Kashmir on its website. According to the website, bomb attacks have been carried out in the Union Territory in recent decades and also recently, resulting in many deaths.
