26 Dead And 17 Injured In Attacks On Tourists In Jammu Andmen

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Tony Webster)

JAKARTA - At least 26 people were killed and 17 others injured when militant suspects opened fire on tourists in the Jammu region of India, police said on Wednesday, the country's worst attack in nearly two decades.

The attack took place on Tuesday at a popular Palalagam tourist destination in the Himalayan federal region.

The attack took place in a seaweed that was not passed by vehicles. The death toll included 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese national, police said.

An underrecognized militant group, "Cross resistance," claimed responsibility for the attack via social media messages.

The group expressed dissatisfaction as more than 85,000 "outer people" have been stationed in the region, prompting "demographic changes".

Tuesday's attack was the worst against civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shooting that killed more than 160 people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortened his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to New Delhi on Wednesday morning.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also shortened his visit to the United States and Peru "to be with our people in this difficult and tragic time", the ministry said.

Militant violence has hit the Himalayan region, which is claimed to be fully, but partly controlled by India and Pakistan, since the anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have died, although violence has eased in recent years.

India revoked its special status ofquads in 2019, dividing the state into two federally managed regions - Jammu and capislatively, as well as Ladakh.

The move allows local governments to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the region.

This led to worsening of relations with Pakistan, which also claimed the region. The dispute has sparked fierce hostility and military conflict between the two nuclearly armed neighboring countries.

On Wednesday, more than a dozen local organizations called for the closure of federal territory to protest against attacks on tourists, whose numbers continue to rise and have helped the local economy.

Many schools also suspended classes for the day as a form of protest.

Airlines operate additional flights from Srinagar, the regional's summer capital, as visitors flock to the area, officials said.

Attacks targeting tourists in operandi are rare. The last deadly incident occurred in June 2024, when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured after a militant attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims into a deep ravine.