Dozens dead in Kashmir as terrorists target tourists

Indian troops at scene of Kashmir terrorist attack on tourists — The bloodshed signals a 'major shift in a regional conflict in which tourists have largely been spared'

(Image credit: Tauseef Mustafa / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

Gunmen killed at least 26 tourists and injured 17 others in India-controlled Kashmir Tuesday. Omar Abdullah, the top elected official in the restive region, said the attack was "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years."

Who said what

Indian tourists "were snapping photos and riding ponies in the meadows of Pahalgam," often called "mini-Switzerland" locally, when "assailants emerged from the nearby forest and fired indiscriminately," The Washington Post said, citing local media reports. The bloodshed signals a "major shift in a regional conflict in which tourists have largely been spared," The Associated Press said.

The attack "shattered the relative calm in Kashmir, where tourism has boomed as an anti-India insurgency has waned" following India's revocation of the region's semi-autonomous status in 2019 and subsequent security crackdown, Reuters said. "Kashmir Resistance," a "little-known militant group" that Indian intelligence claims is a front for Pakistani insurgent organizations, claimed responsibility on social media, citing anger over 85,000 "outsiders" settling in the region.

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What happened

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has vigorously promoted tourism in Kashmir, said the terrorists "behind this heinous act will be brought to justice." He returned to New Delhi early Wednesday after cutting short a state visit to Saudi Arabia.

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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.