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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
-
5 artfully drawn cartoons about Donald Trump's Epstein doodleCartoons Artists take on a mountainous legacy, creepy art, and more
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorshipTalking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government buildingSpeed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
'Axis of upheaval': will China summit cement new world order?Today's Big Question Xi calls on anti-US alliance to cooperate in new China-led global system – but fault lines remain
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to USSpeed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU officesSpeed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
A private zoo run by Asia's richest family is facing criticism and investigationsUnder the radar The zoo is owned by Anant Ambani, the son of Asia's richest person
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
Delhi's dogs earn Supreme Court reprieveIN THE SPOTLIGHT After an outcry from the public and animal rights activists, India's Supreme Court walks back a controversial plan to round the city's stray dog population into shelters
