Terrorist attack in Kashmir kills 26
Phan Tung- VOV correspondent in India -
(VOVWORLD) - A devastating terrorist attack in the town of Pahalgam, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, northern India, claimed the lives of at least 26 tourists, including two foreigners of Italian and Israeli nationality, on Tuesday afternoon. Around 20 others were injured in what is being described as the most severe attack in the region in recent years.
 Indian Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level security meeting with all security forces in Srinagar, the capital of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, on the evening of April 22. (Source: ANI. Photo: Phan Tung/VOV – New Delhi) |
According to local sources, at least six militants, two of whom were local individuals trained in Pakistan, divided into two groups and opened fire on tourists gathered near restaurants. The attackers fled the scene immediately after the assault.
Indian security forces swiftly cordoned off the area and launched a counter-terrorism operation. The Resistance Front, a local affiliate of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the violence and called on security agencies to take decisive action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Prime Minister Modi cut short his official visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to India on Tuesday evening to directly oversee the government’s response.
Expressing solidarity with India, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his condolences to President Murmu and Prime Minister Modi, and reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with India in the global fight against terrorism.
According to initial reports, no Vietnamese nationals were among the victims of the attack.
Phan Tung- VOV correspondent in India