Extremists shoot at tourists: over 20 dead and several injured

By Dirk Godder

India - According to media reports, more than 20 people have been killed in an attack by suspected extremists on tourists in the troubled Indian region of Kashmir.

Indian army officers stand guard near Pahalgam in south Kashmir after attackers opened indiscriminate fire on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Indian army officers stand guard near Pahalgam in south Kashmir after attackers opened indiscriminate fire on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir.  © Dar Yasin/AP/dpa

The attackers opened fire on tourists in a popular tourist area near the town of Pahalgam, killing 26 people, the Indian broadcaster NDTV and the newspaper "Greater Kashmir" reported, citing officials.

Most of the casualties were tourists. Several people were also injured. There was initially no official confirmation of the number of victims.

India's Home Minister Amit Shah (60) spoke of an act of terrorism . He did not give any names. According to "Greater Kashmir", a group called The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to media reports, security forces assumed it was a targeted attack on tourists.

The biggest attack for several years

Security officers patrol the unrest region in an armored vehicle.
Security officers patrol the unrest region in an armored vehicle.  © Dar Yasin/AP/dpa

This attack was much larger than the attacks that have been directed against civilians in the region in recent years, the head of government of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, announced on Platform X. He could not give an exact number of casualties.

He was initially unable to give an exact number of casualties. In the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, extremist groups are pursuing the goal of fighting India's sovereignty over the region.