At least 24 killed as gunmen open fire on tourists in IIOJK

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Srinagar: At least 24 people were killed when gunmen opened fire on tourists on Tuesday in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to “abusive act” in retreat in the summer of Pahalgam, promising the attackers to bring “justice”.

A tour guide told AFP that he reached the scene after hearing the firing sound and took some of the injured to the back of the horse.

“I noticed that some men are looking at the ground as if they were dead,” Ved said, who gave only one name.

The attack targeted tourists in Pahalgam, which is about 90 km (55 miles) by road from the key city Srinagar.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior police officer in the region described a massacre in which at least 24 people were killed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but in the Muslim -majority region, rebels have been subjected to insurgency since 1989.

India canceled the special status of IIOJK in 2019, which divided the state into two federally administered areas. The move also allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to the foreigners, which allowed them to get a job and buy land in the area.

The killings came a day after Modi’s US Vice President JD Venus met, who is on a four -day visit to India with his wife Asha and children.

Venus offered condolences to himself and Osha with the “victims of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam”.

He wrote on X, “Our thoughts and prayers are with them when they are mournful with this horrific attack.”

‘Makrooh’

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “In recent years, we have attacked more than anything directed by ordinary citizens”, with a tool of casualties “is still known”.

“This attack on our visitors is makrooh,” he said in a statement. “Animals for this attack are animals, inhuman and contemptuous.”

The witness said dozens of people fled after the gunmen opened fire.

“They all started to run around in panic,” he added.

“We tried to comfort them but they were just screaming … We helped take some of the wounded from the pony.”

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah flew for IOG and vowed that those responsible would be caught.

“Those involved in these disgusting acts of terrorism will not be forgiven, and we will get a lot of criminals with the toughest consequences,” Shah said in a statement.

A source of security said foreign tourists were involved in the bullets, but there was no official confirmation.

Israeli Foreign Minister Geodon Sar, in a post on X, said “he is very saddened by the terrorist attack on tourists”, adding that his nation is “united with India”.

The popular destination of tourists

Medics at a hospital in Anantnag said they were injured, with at least two bullet wounds, one had a neck injury.

India’s central opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi called the killings “heartbreaking”.

In a statement after the attack, Modi said, “His bad agenda will never succeed. Our commitment to fight terrorism is irrelevant and it will be stronger.”

In recent years, authorities have promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, to avoid skiing in the winter months, and to avoid sharp heat during the summer in India.

According to official data, according to the majority domestic visitors, about 3.5 million tourists visited IIOJK in 2024.

In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar to show that officials were returning to “Normali and Peace” after a massive crackdown.

The worst attack in recent years took place in Paloma in February 2019, when rebels tied the explosive -laden car into a police convoy, killing 40 and injuring at least 35 others.

The recent deadly attack on civilians took place in March 2000, when 36 people, all Indian nationals, were killed.

‘False flag drama’

Commenting on the attack, former Secretary of State Jalil Abbas Jalani highlighted the Indian tradition of making a “false flag drama”, saying that Indian media propaganda against Pakistan is fabricated and false.

“India wants to divert attention from the security situation in IIOJK,” he told Geo News.

He said that whenever an incident happened, India threw allegations against Pakistan without providing any evidence.

“Indian agencies are involved in various terrorist incidents in Pakistan, Canada and other countries,” the former top diplomat said.

Recalling the previous incident, Jalani said that more than 30 Sikhs were killed in the IOJK and it was also blamed by India on Pakistan.

He added that later, the investigation proved that the Indian intelligence agencies had occurred in 2000 by the Indian intelligence agencies.

He also demanded the international community to believe that India has made Pakistan a habit of blames its domestic problems.