At least 20 feared killed in militant attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir

By Reuters April 22, 2025 | 07:05 pm PT

An ambulance drives past following a suspected militant attack near Pahalgam in southern Kashmir. Photo by Reuters

At least 20 people were feared killed after suspected militants opened fire on tourists in India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory on Tuesday, three security sources said, the worst attack on civilians in the troubled Himalayan region for years.

The attack occurred in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the scenic, mountainous region where mass tourism, especially during the summer, has resurged as Islamist militant violence has eased in recent years.

One security source put the death toll at 20; the second put it at 24 and the third at 26. All three spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

"The firing happened in front of us," one witness told broadcaster India Today, without giving his name. "We thought someone was setting off firecrackers, but when we heard other people (screaming), we quickly got out of there... saved our lives and ran."

"For four kilometers, we did not stop... I am shaking," another witness told India Today.

The attack occurred in an off-the-road meadow and two or three militants were involved, the Indian Express newspaper reported, citing an unidentified senior police officer.

"The death toll is still being ascertained so I don't want to get into those details," Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X. "Needless to say, this attack is much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years."

The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known.

A little-known militant group, the "Kashmir Resistance," claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 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.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said he was rushing to Kashmir to hold a security meeting.

In Washington, the White House said U.S. President Donald Trump had been briefed on the attack and will speak to Mr Modi "as soon as he possibly can."

A White House spokesperson said it was a "brutal terrorist attack."

Trump on social media called the news "deeply disturbing."