At least 24 people were killed in Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists yesterday, a senior police officer said, with authorities calling it the worst attack on civilians in years.Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act” in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.A tour guide said he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and transported some of the wounded away on horseback.“I saw a few men lying on the ground looking like they were dead,” said Waheed.The attack targeted tourists in Pahalgam, which lies about 90km by road from the key city of Srinagar.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The killings come a day after Modi met with US Vice-President J D Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India with his wife Usha and children.Vance offered his and Usha’s condolences to the “victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam”.“Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack,” he wrote on X.Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that “the attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”, with the death toll “still being ascertained”.“This attack on our visitors is an abomination,” he said in a statement. “The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.”A reporter at Pahalgam spoke to another witness of the shooting who asked not to be identified.“The militants, I can’t say how many, came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing,” said the witness, who cares for the horses that are popular with tourists in the area.“They were clearly sparing women and kept shooting at men, sometimes single shot and sometimes many bullets, it was like a storm.”The witness said dozens of people fled as the gunmen opened fire.“They all started running around in panic”, he added.“We tried to comfort them but they were just screaming… we helped carry some injured out of there on ponies.”India’s Interior Minister Amit Shah flew to Kashmir and vowed those responsible would be caught.“Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” Shah said in a statement.One security source said that foreign tourists were among those shot, but there was no official confirmation.Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, called the killings “heartbreaking”.“Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” Modi said in a statement following the attack.In recent years, the authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat during the summer elsewhere in India.Around 3.5mn tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures, the majority domestic visitors.US supports India, says TrumpIndia has the full support of the US, President Donald Trump said yesterday after militants opened fire on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir territory, killing 24 people.“Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir. The US 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,” Trump said on Truth Social.
