2025 Pahalgam attack

2025 Pahalgam attack
Part of the Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
View of the valley where the attack occurred
Pahalgam is located in Jammu and Kashmir
Pahalgam
Pahalgam
Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir)
Pahalgam is located in India
Pahalgam
Pahalgam
Pahalgam (India)
Location of the attack in Jammu and Kashmir
LocationBaisaran Valley, Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Coordinates34°00′13″N 75°20′01″E / 34.00361°N 75.33361°E / 34.00361; 75.33361
Date22 April 2025
TargetTourists[1]
Attack type
Mass shooting
Mass murder
WeaponsAK-47s, M4 carbines[2]
Deaths26
Injured20
VictimsSee casualties
Perpetrators
No. of participants
5

The 2025 Pahalgam attack was a terrorist attack on tourists by five armed terrorists near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed on 22 April 2025.[2][4][5] The militants mainly targeted Hindu tourists, though a Christian tourist and a local Muslim were also killed.[2][6][7] The attackers, armed with M4 carbines and AK-47s, entered the tourist spot in Baisaran Valley surrounded by dense pine forests.[8] This incident is considered the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.[9][10]

The Resistance Front (TRF), which is believed to be an offshoot of Pakistan-based, UN-designated, Islamist terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),[11][12][13][14] initially claimed responsibility for the attack.[15] TRF released a statement that the attack was in opposition to non-local settlement in the region resulting from the abolition of the special status of Kashmir.[13] After a few days, TRF denied its involvement in the attack.[16] Previously, TRF has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir targeting religious minorities.[17]

The militants singled out the men and asked for their religion before shooting the Hindu and Christian tourists.[18][19] The attackers also asked some tourists to recite the Islamic kalima, a Muslim declaration of faith, to identify non-Muslims.[5][19] Of the 26 people killed, 25 were tourists, and one was a local Muslim pony ride operator who tried to wrestle a gun from the attackers.[20][21] The tourists included several newlywed couples, and the men were shot point-blank in front of their wives.[7][22][23]

The attack intensified tensions between India and Pakistan as India accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled Pakistani diplomats and closed borders. Pakistan rejected these claims and retaliated by suspending the Simla Agreement, restricting trade, and closing airspace. A standoff between both countries led to a military conflict on 7 May 2025 when India launched airstrikes targeting alleged terror camps in Pakistan.[24]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNN 23 Apr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Bhat, Danish Manzoor (22 April 2025) [Updated 23 April 2025]. "Kashmir Massacre: Trump, Putin, Iran, Israel Condemn Jihadist Attack on Hindu Tourists", Newsweek. "Witnesses reported the assailants shouted Islamic slogans and specifically targeted people who appeared to be Hindu."
  3. ^ Jamkhandikar, Shilpa (24 April 2025). "What is The Resistance Front, the militant group linked to Pahalgam attack?". Reuters. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  4. ^ Mashal, Mujib; Raj, Suhasini (23 April 2025). "India Takes Aim at Pakistan After Slaughter of Civilians in Kashmir". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. A list of the victims circulating online, which was verified by local officials in Kashmir, showed that 25 of the 26 killed were Hindus.
  5. ^ a b Gollerkeri, Gurucharan (28 April 2025). "Pahalgam and Pakistan's two-nation delusion". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 6 May 2025. recite the Kalima — a Muslim declaration of faith — to identify and then execute non-Muslims
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT 23 Apr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Roy, Rajesh (30 April 2025). "Indian survivors of Kashmir attack say gunmen asked if they were Hindus and opened fire". AP News. Indian survivors of Kashmir attack say gunmen asked if they were Hindus and opened fire
  8. ^ Manral, Mahender Singh (23 April 2025). "Terrorists were wearing camouflage outfits, carried M4 carbine, AK-47s, fired 70 rounds: Initial probe". The Indian Express.
  9. ^ Mollan, Cherylann (23 April 2025). "Pahalgam: Rage and grief after 26 killed in Indian-administered Kashmir". BBC. Most of the victims were Hindu men
  10. ^ Singh, Vijaita (3 May 2025). "Pahalgam terrorist attack: Terrorists mingled with crowd, herded them towards armed members who killed tourists at Baisaran". The Hindu.
  11. ^ "LASHKAR-E-TAYYIBA". un.org.
  12. ^ Miller, Manjari Chatterjee (25 April 2025). The Latest Attack in Kashmir Escalates India-Pakistan Tensions. Council on Foreign Relations.
  13. ^ a b "'Act of war': What happened in Kashmir attack that killed 26 tourists?". Al Jazeera English. 23 April 2025.
  14. ^ Shilpa Jamkhandikar (23 April 2025). "What is The Resistance Front, the militant group linked to Pahalgam attack?". Reuters.
  15. ^ Sharma, Yashraj (23 April 2025). "What is The Resistance Front, the group claiming the deadly Kashmir attack?". Al Jazeera. opposed the granting of residency permits to "outsiders", who critics say could help India change the demography of the disputed region
  16. ^ "The Resistance Front denies involvement in Pahalgam attack as global pressure mounts". The Hindu. 26 April 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  17. ^ Basak, Saptarshi (11 October 2021). "The Resistance Front: The Invisible, LeT-Backed Outfit Terrorising Kashmir". The Quint.
  18. ^ Singh, Vijaita (23 April 2025). "Pahalgam terror attack: Terrorists asked name and religion of male tourists, shot them, says survivor". The Hindu.
  19. ^ a b Bukhari, Fayaz (23 April 2025). "Militants in Indian Kashmir segregate men from women and children before opening fire". Reuters. When the militants reached their tent, Asavari said they asked her father, Santosh Jagdale, to come out and recite an Islamic verse.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference NDTV-Victims was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference BS-Pony was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference TOI-Shubham was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ "Terrorists cursed Modi, asked my father to recite Islamic verse before shooting him: Daughter". The Hindu. PTI. 23 April 2025.
  24. ^ Mashal, Mujib; Kumar, Hari; Masood, Salman (6 May 2025). "India Strikes Pakistan but Is Said to Have Lost Aircraft". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

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