Indian security forces launched a massive manhunt in Kashmir on Wednesday, just a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists, killing at least 26 people in what’s being called the deadliest civilian attack in the region since 2000.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack as a “heinous act” and vowed the perpetrators “will be brought to justice.”
Modi, who cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to India early Wednesday, convened a high-level meeting with top security officials immediately upon arrival, according to a government source.
While the official death toll hasn’t been publicly confirmed, security sources told AFP that at least 26 people lost their lives Tuesday afternoon when armed men emerged from the forest at a well-known tourist destination and opened fire on the crowd with automatic weapons.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the incident “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
No group has claimed responsibility so far. Armed groups in the Muslim-majority region have been waging an insurgency since 1989, seeking either independence or unification with Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan claim the territory in full but control separate parts.
‘Abomination’
“This attack on our visitors is an abomination,” Abdullah said in a statement.
“The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.”
AFP reporters in Pahalgam — a scenic tourist spot around 90 kilometers from Srinagar — saw heavy deployment of Indian security forces.
“The search operation is currently in progress, with all efforts focused on bringing the attackers to justice,” the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps stated overnight.
A local tour guide named Waheed told AFP he rushed to the scene after hearing gunshots and helped evacuate the injured using his horse.
He said he saw several bodies lying on the ground, while another witness, speaking anonymously, said the attackers seemed to deliberately spare women.
The assault occurred a day after Modi held talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in New Delhi.
“Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable, and it will get even stronger,” Modi said in a statement soon after the incident.
The last attack of this magnitude targeting civilians took place in March 2000, when 36 people were killed ahead of a visit by then U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Global Condemnation
Tuesday’s attack drew swift and strong international condemnation.
U.S. President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Modi to offer “full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also voiced support, saying, “Europe will stand with you.”
Despite India maintaining roughly 500,000 troops in the region, violence has decreased since Modi’s government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019. Authorities have since tried to promote the area as a travel destination, drawing around 3.5 million tourists in 2024 alone, primarily from within India.
The deadliest recent militant strike in the region occurred in Pulwama in February 2019, when a suicide bombing killed 40 members of a police convoy.
India frequently blames Pakistan for aiding militant groups in Kashmir — a claim Islamabad denies, asserting it only supports the region’s right to self-determination.
Survivors of Tuesday’s massacre said the gunmen targeted men, often shooting them at close range.
One female survivor told The Indian Express that men dressed in uniforms appeared from the woods and approached a meadow where tourists were relaxing, leading many to mistake them for police officers.
“They were there at least for 20 minutes, undeterred, moving around and opening fire,” she said.
“It seemed like an eternity.”
Among the victims was an Indian Navy officer, recently married, vacationing with his wife.
Another survivor told India Today the attackers asked male members of her family to recite the Muslim call to prayer.
“Then they resumed firing and shot my father and uncle,” she said.
