Kashmir Terror Attack Threatens To Reignite Hindu-Muslim Battles Throughout India

A terror attack in Kashmir, India, where according to survivors gunmen shot at domestic tourists after determining they were not Muslim, has left at least 32 people confirmed dead so far. The attack threatens to reignite Hindu-Muslim battles in the region and throughout India.“Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice,” Prime Minister Modi wrote on X. “They will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.” Vice President Vance, who is touring India, offered “thoughts and prayers” to the country’s people.India’s Jammu and Kashmir Muslim-majority region has long been a hotbed of terrorism. Across the border, Pakistan controls the Ladakh part of Kashmir. Both countries claim the entire region, and have fought two full-fledged wars over its control. In recent years, violence against civilians has abated even as Muslim separatists demand to unite with Pakistan. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of instigating the resurgency and orchestrating terrorist attacks.Tuesday’s horrific events occurred at the top of a mountain three miles from Kashmir’s Pahalgam. India’s government has long lured tourists to the mountainous beauty of that Kashmiri corner, known as “the Switzerland of India.”The attack was “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” the region’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, wrote on social media. At least four gunmen fired at defenseless tourists. “Are you a Muslim?” the terrorists asked before shooting the victims at point-blank range, according to surviving eye witnesses.At the White House, the press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said President Trump is planning to call Mr. Modi to express “our nation’s support for our ally India.” America “stands strong with India against Terrorism,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We pray for the souls of those lost, and for recovery of the injured. Prime Minister Modi, and the incredible people of India, have our full support and deepest sympathies.”Mr. Vance landed in India Monday on a four-day tour with his three children and wife, Usha, whose parents emigrated to America from India. The vice president was hosted by Mr. Modi at New Delhi, where the two reported making progress in talks over a trade pact between the countries.“Usha and I extend our condolences to the victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India,” Mr. Vance wrote on X Tuesday. “We have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack.”

Kashmir Terror Attack Threatens To Reignite Hindu-Muslim Battles Throughout India

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