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ISLAMABAD: Armed men opened fire on a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing at least 26 people, according to Indian police, in one of the deadliest attacks there in recent times.<\/p>\nISLAMABAD: Armed men opened fire on a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing at least 26 people, according to Indian police, in one of the deadliest attacks there in recent times.<\/p>\n
Police said multiple tourists received gunshot wounds in the \u201cterror attack\u201d on Tuesday while they were visiting Baisaran meadow, about 5km (3 miles) from the disputed region\u2019s resort town of Pahalgam.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis attack is much larger than anything we\u2019ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,\u201d Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the region\u2019s top elected official, wrote on social media.<\/p>\n
Indian police told the Associated Press news agency that at least 26 people were killed and 17 wounded in the attack.<\/p>\n
A little-known group, Kashmir Resistance, claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 \u201coutsiders\u201d had been settled in the region, spurring what it called a \u201cdemographic change\u201d.<\/p>\n
Indian security agencies say Kashmir Resistance is a front for Pakistan-based armed organisations, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, which fight Indian rule in Kashmir. Pakistan says it only provides moral and diplomatic support.<\/p>\n
Indian security forces launched a hunt for the attackers while the wounded were rushed to hospitals.<\/p>\n
Two senior police officers also told AP that at least four gunmen fired at dozens of tourists from close range. All of those killed were men, and all but one were residents of India, according to a hospital list cited by the AFP news agency.<\/p>\n
A tour guide in Pahalgam told AFP he approached the scene after hearing gunfire and helped transport some of the wounded away on horseback.<\/p>\n
Waheed, who gave only one name, said he saw several men lying dead on the ground. Another witness told AFP that the attackers were \u201cclearly sparing women\u201d.<\/p>\n
Indian security analyst C Uday Bhaskar told Al Jazeera the attack likely had two main objectives: to draw global attention to the issue of Kashmir, which has been under an intensified military crackdown since its semi-autonomous status was revoked by the Indian government about six years ago, and deepen military tensions between India and Pakistan.<\/p>\n
Given that the attack has made headlines across the world, \u201cis indicative of the fact that the first box has been ticked\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,<\/strong> who cut short an official visit to Saudi Arabia after the attack, decried the \u201cheinous act\u201d, pledging that the attackers \u201cwill be brought to justice\u201d.<\/p>\n In a separate incident in Kashmir\u2019s Baramulla district, the army said on Wednesday that it killed two gunmen in a \u201cheavy exchange of fire\u201d after they launched an \u201cinfiltration bid\u201d crossing from Pakistan.<\/p>\n