In a shocking turn of events militants killed at least 26 tourists in a brutal attack in Kashmir´s Baisaran Valley on Tuesday. This massacre unfolded while US vice president JD Vance was visiting India, drawing global attention to the worsening security situation.
The attack began around 3pm when a group of gunmen emerged from the pine forests near the mountain trail in Pahalgam. They fired indiscriminately at the crowd leaving bodies sprawled. The violence marks one of the deadliest civilian attacks in the region in recent years.
Videos circulating on social media showed bloodied victims lying helplessly while relatives screamed for help. Due to the remote location’s lack of road access helicopters flew in to evacuate the wounded.
Authorities said the victims included tourists from Odish, Giújrat, Karnataka and at least two foreign nationals. Six other people remain hospitalized with critical injuries Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack during his Saudi Arabia trip pledging swift justice.
Local police launched a manhunt for the suspected militants believed to be two to three individuals who escaped through the mountains. Protests erupted across Indian-administration. Protests erupted across Indian-administered Kashmir, with protestors blaming Pakistan for supporting insurgents.
A little-known group, Kashmir Resistance, claimed responsibility, claiming opposition to demographic changes in the region. The Kashmir Valley massacre highlights a grim shift in the conflict, as militants now target tourists—a group largely spared from violence in recent years. Indian military and paramilitary forces have intensified search operations across the surrounding forested areas.
