TRANSCRIPT
Sounds of shooting
A long-simmering conflict in the disputed region of Kashmir has erupted with the deadliest attack on civilians in 25 years.
Local police say militants have shot dead at least 26 tourists when they opened fire at a resort in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the mountainous Himalayan region.
One eyewitness describes the chaotic scene.
"I heard two gunshots and saw a large gathering of people. When I reached the firing site, I rescued three individuals."
Meanwhile, other tourists, hoping to visit the scenic destination were left waiting as the confusion unfolded.
“We had left Srinagar around 2 pm but we found out that there was a terrorist attack in Pahalgam. So we have been waiting here for the past two to three hours.”
Police have described the incident as a “terror attack” and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule of the region.
Militant violence has long afflicted the Himalayan region since the British partition of South Asia in 1947, which placed Kashmir on the border of China, India and Pakistan.
While both India and Pakistan claim the region in its entirety, India now controls about half of Kashmir, with Pakistan controlling a third and China controlling the northeast portion of the territory.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and is returning to New Delhi following the news.
In a statement, he offered his condolences and promised to bring the perpetrators of what he labelled a heinous act of terrorism to justice.
"Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable and it will get even stronger."
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the regional conflict since an armed rebellion against Indian forces began in 1989, although violence has tapered off recently.
The Chief Minister of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, says the number of casualties are still being confirmed - but he says it is "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years".
Rafi Ahmad Mir, General Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party has attempted to reassure visitors of their safety.
"We request to the tourists who are coming to Jammu and Kashmir that they should not panic. There is peace in the region and the government is also with us. The incident will be thoroughly investigated and we need to stay strong and united."
A little-known militant group, the Kashmir Resistance, has claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message.
It expressed discontent at what they called "outsiders" settling in the region and shifting the demographics, in reference to local Indian authorities reporting that nearly 84,000 non-locals, from within India, had been given domicile rights in the territory in the last two years.
Indian journalist Zafar Choudhary told Al Jazeera that the claims by Kashmir Resistance have not been verified and follow a pattern of groups claiming responsibility regardless of any real involvement.
"There has been a pattern over the past five, six years that whenever an attack takes place, some informal or unorganised kind of groups, which are not really very well known, they take immediate responsibility of the attack. So, Kashmir Resistance issued a statement claiming responsibility for this attack, and they wrote that because people from outside of India are coming to settle in Kashmir. But there is no official confirmation of whether that is really coming from a terrorist organisation or the organisation which is actually involved in this incident."
India revoked Kashmir's special status in 2019, meaning local authorities can issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the territory.
The move led to a deterioration of ties with Pakistan, with bitter animosity stirring between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the United States and President Donald Trump are prepared to stand with their ally India.
"What we know already is dozens were killed and even more were injured in a brutal terrorist attack in a popular tourist location in South Kashmir. President Trump will be speaking with Prime Minister Modi as soon as he possibly can to express his heartfelt condolences for those lost, and our prayers are with those injured and our nation's support for our ally India."
