At least 24 dead after gunmen attack tourists in Kashmir

Police sources have confirmed that at least 24 people were killed in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) when gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists. The number of injured people who were rushed to a local hospital is uncertain, as the death toll has not yet been officially released. Local Indian media initially reported seven injuries. The nationalities of the victims are currently unknown. The attack occurred in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination, one day after the commencement of a four-day personal visit to India by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. According to official sources, this attack represents the worst incident of its kind against civilians in recent years in the IoK region, where insurgents have been active since 1989 in this predominantly Muslim area. The Indian Home Minister, Amit Shah, has announced that he is currently on an urgent trip to the IoK region, where he will be holding a security briefing. The ‘Kashmir Resistance’ has claimed responsibility for the attack via a social media post, expressing discontent that more than 85,000 ‘outsiders’ have settled in the region, triggering a ‘demographic shift.’ India revoked the IoK’s special status in 2019, leading to the division of the state into two federally administered territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The decision also allowed local authorities to grant residency rights to foreign nationals, allowing them to find work and buy land in the territory. The relationship between the two countries has been adversely affected, resulting in considerable tension and military conflict.