Multiple casualties in militant attack in Indian Kashmir

At least 20 people were killed and many others were injured after suspected militants opened fire on tourists in India's Jammu and Kashmir region on Tuesday.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the scenic territory that has drawn thousands of summer visitors as militant violence has eased in recent years.

The injured were sent to a local hospital, a police source told Reuters on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

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

The local government of Jammu and Kashmir, where Pahalgam is located, told the legislature this month that nearly 84,000 non-locals, from within India, were given domicile rights in the territory in the last two years.

"Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared!" Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. "Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger."

The Himalayan region, claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, has been roiled by militant violence since the start of an anti-Indian insurgency in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years.

India revoked Kashmir's special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The move also allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the territory.

Attacks targeting tourists in Jammu and Kashmir have been rare in recent years. The last major attack on visitors took place in June, when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured after a militant attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge.

Tuesday's attack came a day after US Vice President JD Vance began a four-day, largely personal visit to India.