Twenty-six people were killed and 17 were injured when suspected terrorists opened fire at tourists in India's Jammu and Kashmir territory, police said on Wednesday, in the worst such attack in the country in nearly two decades.

The attack occurred in Pahalgam on Tuesday, a popular destination in the scenic, mountainous region where mass tourism, especially during the summer, has resurged as Islamist terrorist violence has eased in recent years.

Terrorists separated the men from the women and children and asked the men their names before shooting them at close range, security officials and survivors said on Wednesday.

"The firing happened in front of us," one witness told broadcaster India Today, without giving his name. "We thought someone was setting off firecrackers, but when we heard other people (screaming), we quickly got out of there ... saved our lives and ran."

"For four kilometers, we did not stop ... I am shaking," another witness told India Today.

A man, who was injured in a suspected militant attack near scenic Pahalgam, receives treatment in a hospital in south Kashmir’s Anantnag April 22, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)
A man, who was injured in a suspected militant attack near scenic Pahalgam, receives treatment in a hospital in south Kashmir’s Anantnag April 22, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)
The attack occurred in an off-the-road meadow and two or three terrorists were involved, the Indian Express newspaper reported, citing an unidentified senior police officer.

The dead include 25 Indians and one Nepalese national, police said.

A little-known terrorist group, the "Kashmir Resistance," claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 "outsiders" had been settled in the region, spurring a "demographic change."

"Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally," it said.

Reuters could not independently verify the source of the message.

The regional government of Jammu and Kashmir, where Pahalgam is located, told its legislature this month that nearly 84,000 non-locals, from within India, had been given domicile rights in the territory in the last two years.

Security meeting

"Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice ... They will not be spared!" Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. "Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger."

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said he was rushing to Kashmir to hold a security meeting.

In Washington, the White House said US President Donald Trump had been briefed on the attack and will speak to Modi "as soon as he possibly can." A White House spokesperson said it was a "brutal terrorist attack." Trump on social media called the news "deeply disturbing."

India's foreign ministry subsequently said Trump called Modi and "expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack."

Terrorist violence has afflicted the Himalayan region, claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, since an anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years.

India revoked Kashmir's special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The move allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the territory.

That led to a deterioration of ties with Pakistan, which also claims the region. The dispute has spurred bitter animosity and military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Attacks targeting tourists in Kashmir have become rare. The last deadly incident took place in June 2024 when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured after a terrorist attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge.

Some major terrorist attacks during the height of the insurgency coincided with visits from high-profile foreign officials to India, in likely attempts to draw global attention to Kashmir, Indian security agencies have said.

Tuesday's attack came a day after US Vice President JD Vance began a four-day, largely personal visit to India.

India downgrades ties with Pakistan

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a media briefing that the cross-border linkages of the attack had been "brought out" at a special meeting of the security cabinet, after which it was decided to act against Pakistan.

He said New Delhi would suspend with immediate effect a crucial river water treaty that allows for sharing the waters of the Indus river system between the two countries.

The defense advisers in the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi were declared persona non grata and asked to leave, Misri said, adding that the overall strength of the Indian high commission in Islamabad will be reduced to 30 from 55.

The main border crossing checkpost between the two countries will be closed with immediate effect and Pakistani nationals will not be allowed to travel to India under special visas, Misri said.