Several gunmen opened fire at a beauty spot in India-controlled Kashmir, killing at least 20 tourists and wounding many more.
Local police said it was a “terror attack” carried out by radical Islamic extremists, according to NBC News.
Multiple casualties are feared after assailants indiscriminately fired at tourists visiting a beauty spot in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said.
Police said it was a “terror attack” carried out by militants fighting against Indian rule near the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam.
Initial reports said gunmen sprayed bullets at mostly Indian tourists visiting Baisaran meadow, some 3 miles from Pahalgam. Police said multiple tourists suffered gunshot wounds and officials were evacuating the wounded to hospitals.
Images of the carnage have been circulating on social media, with some users reporting that the terrorists told their male victims to drop their pants so they could distinguish between Muslims and non-Muslims. It appears the terrorists identified victims as non-Muslims if they were not circumcised.
Western Media Blackout!
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) April 22, 2025
🇮🇳 Hindus Stripped and Shot Dead in Kashmir — Because They Weren’t Muslim
On April 22, 2025, Islamic terrorists carried out one of the most barbaric attacks in recent years in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
Tourists—Hindu men and women on vacation, including… pic.twitter.com/ROwde0fqUd
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JUST ANNOUNCED:
— Bear Armstead (@BearArmstead) April 22, 2025
At least 32 Hindu tourists have been m*rdered in an Islamist terror attack in Kashmir.
Pakistani terrorists forced men to pull their pants down before k*lling them.
Islamic terrorism has no boundaries.
This is why Americans do NOT want Sharia Law in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/jqxKVpL9zv
Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, told The New York Times that this marks the worst attack on civilians in years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned what he called a “terror attack” and said that “those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice.”
The attack occurred in the Baisaran Valley, just a few miles from the town of Pahalgam. The bodies of injured or dead tourists were being brought down from the hills on horseback and all-terrain vehicles, according to eyewitness accounts.
Binu Bhai, who was among the injured, sustained bullet wounds to both his arms and legs and was being treated at a hospital. He said he saw around a dozen dead bodies on the ground as gunmen fired indiscriminately at the tourists from behind bushes.
The Kashmir region, divided in 1947 between India and Pakistan, has been the site of separatist violence for decades, claiming thousands of lives.
The bloodshed has declined in recent years, after Mr. Modi revoked Kashmir’s special status and his government began directly administering the Muslim-majority region from New Delhi.
President Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social expressed his condolences and affirmed that “The United States stands strong with India against Terrorism.”
Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir. The United States stands strong with India against Terrorism. We pray for the souls of those lost, and for the recovery of the injured. Prime Minister Modi, and the incredible people of India, have our full support and deepest sympathies. Our hearts are with you all!
The Resistance Front, a terrorist organization that operates in the region, claimed responsibility for the assault. The group was responsible for the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
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