At least 26 people were murdered by 5-6 Islamist terrorists from Pakistan in the Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam, India, on Tuesday afternoon. The attack came as US Vice President JD Vance was in the country for a four-day visit.
Eyewitnesses related that the heavily armed terrorists first targeted male tourists and asked the victims if they were Muslim. If they answered that they were, they were ordered to recite the Kalma, the Muslim declaration of faith. If they denied being Muslim, they were executed on the spot. Some non-Muslims were left alive and ordered to tell the Indian government what had transpired.
According to a preliminary forensic analysis and testimonies of survivors, the terrorists used military-grade weapons and advanced communication devices, indicating external logistical support. The terrorists also wore body cams and helmet-mounted cameras to record the entire sequence of events.
Sources suggested that the terrorists were aided by locals who gave them information about the locale. The precision and planning of the attack also point to the involvement of trained handlers, and not local amateurs.
The location is a nature spot and a popular tourist destination.
The police and army arrived at least 20 minutes later, after the terrorists had fled. Security agencies have stated that they identified the terrorists and believe they are associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (literally Army of the Good), a Pakistani Islamist Salafi jihadist organisation. The group is anti-Western and condemns what it describes as a “Brahmanic-Talmudic-Crusader” alliance of Hindus, Jews, and Christians, whom it accuses of collaborating to undermine the Ummah.
India shut the border with Pakistan in the wake of the attack. India also expelled Pakistani military diplomats and suspended a landmark water-sharing treaty.
