Latest news with #Srinagar
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
India says it has killed militants who shot dead tourists in Kashmir
India has said its security forces killed three militants who shot dead 26 civilians near a tourist town in Indian-administered Kashmir in April, triggering a brief military conflict with Minister Amit Shah told parliament the men had been killed by Indian forces near the disputed region's main city Srinagar on Monday. He claimed the attackers were Pakistani nationals, a charge Islamabad denies. The men's identity was confirmed through forensic and ballistic tests, Shah told MPs. Pakistan has not commented on the claims, which have not been independently confirmed and come amid mounting criticism of India's government for alleged security lapses in Kashmir. Twenty-six men, mostly Hindu tourists, were killed by gunmen who opened fire at a mountain meadow not far from the scenic town of Pahalgam on 22 April, in one of the deadliest attacks in the region in recent years. The victims were killed in cold blood in front of their wives and family members. A local Muslim pony handler who tried to help them was also shot accused Islamabad of supporting militant groups involved in the attack - a charge Pakistan has repeatedly denied. In May, India launched a series of strikes on sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded with drones, missiles and fighter jets, leading to four days of intense military action from both of people were killed in the bloodiest confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, before US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between them. India's opposition leaders have accused the government of "severe security lapses" and have been questioning why it has taken this much time to catch the parliament on Monday, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi demanded that Shah should personally take responsibility for the attack. "The country wants to know why the government has not been able to nab the terrorists even after 100 days since the attack," he said. Shah responded on Tuesday, saying that security forces had "neutralised the three terrorists" involved in the attack in a mission called "Operation Mahadev". The three died in a gun battle in a wildlife reserve in the mountains of Dachigam, about 30km (18 miles) from Srinagar, the Indian army said on Monday. The clash could not be independently confirmed by the BBC. The army did not immediately identify those it on Tuesday, Shah claimed the men - who he identified as Suleiman Shah, Afghan and Jibran - were Pakistani nationals."When the terrorists were killed [on Monday], we recovered three rifles - one M9 American rifle and two AK-47s. The cartridges we had collected were also from an M9 and AK-47. We sent the rifles last night to the central forensics lab in Chandigarh where they fired them, and these were then compared and it was confirmed these were the three rifles used in the attack to kill our innocent citizens," Shah said."I have the ballistic report," he told the house, holding up some papers. "Six scientists have cross verified it. They told me this morning on a video call these are 100% the bullets that they had fired."At the beginning of the investigation in May, Indian police had issued sketches of three men, saying two were Pakistanis while one was a local in June, Indian investigators said all three militants were Pakistani nationals from the UN-proscribed militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) after it arrested two locals for allegedly sheltering the suspected militants prior to the on Tuesday, Shah clarified that only two men - Suleiman Shah and Afghan - were believed to be LeT members. He did not say which group the Indian authorities thought the third militant Jibran was associated with. The militants were identified by locals who had provided them shelter, he claimed. "We have voter ID numbers of the two of them, we have weapons recovered from them. The chocolates recovered from them are also made in Pakistan," Shah said. "They killed our tourists and now they have been killed."Shah also defended the speed of the investigation amid questions on how the three men had managed to remain undetected over the past three months."Right after the attack, we handed over the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA)," he said. "We made all arrangements with the security and border forces to ensure they [culprits] couldn't leave the country."Some opposition leaders, however, remained unconvinced and questioned the lack of security in Pahalgam on the day of the attack. "Why was not even one security personnel present there?" Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi asked. "Is the safety and security of the citizens not the responsibility of the prime minister, home minister and defence minister?" she asked.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
India claims to have killed all suspects of Kashmir's Pahalgam attack
India's Home Minister Amit Shah has said three suspected rebels killed in Indian-administered Kashmir were responsible for the April killings of tourists in the disputed region's Pahalgam that led to an intense military conflict with Pakistan. The minister's comments came on Tuesday, a day after the heavily-armed suspects were killed in a joint operation by the military, paramilitary and police on the outskirts of Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. 'I want to tell the Parliament, those who attacked in Baisaran were three terrorists and all three have been killed,' said Shah, referring to the area near the Kashmiri town of Pahalgam where 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, were shot dead on April 22. India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied, leading to an intense four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides. Shah said all three were Pakistani nationals and identified two of them as members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based armed group. 'Indian security agencies have detailed evidence of their involvement in the attack,' Shah said in a speech in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament. Monday's operation took place in the mountains of Dachigam, about 30km (18 miles) from Srinagar, the army said in a statement. Shah said a security meeting was held immediately after the attack, and it was decided that the attackers should not be 'allowed to leave the country and return to Pakistan'. Investigators relied on witness accounts and forensic evidence to establish that the rifles found on the men were the same ones that were used in the April attack, he said. 'It was confirmed that these three rifles were involved in the killing of our innocent civilians,' said Shah. Retracted claim of responsibility All those killed in the April attack were listed as residents of India except one man from Nepal. Survivors said the attackers had separated the men from the women and children and ordered some of them to recite the Muslim declaration of faith. Another armed group called The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the attack. But as public criticism mounted over the killings, it retracted the claim. Earlier this month, the United States designated TRF as a 'foreign terrorist organisation'. Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and the neighbours – who both claim the region in full – have fought two wars and several conflicts over its control. Since 1989, Kashmiri rebels have been fighting against Indian rule, demanding independence or the region's merger with Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of backing the violence, but Islamabad says it only provides diplomatic support to the Kashmiris' struggle for self-determination.
CNA
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Gunmen involved in Indian Kashmir tourist attack killed: Minister
NEW DELHI: Indian security forces have killed three Pakistani gunmen who were involved in an April attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir that led to an intense military conflict between the two countries, home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday (Jul 29). The heavily-armed men were killed in a military operation on Monday, more than three months after 26 people were gunned down in a popular resort town of Indian Kashmir on Apr 22. "I want to tell the parliament (that) those who attacked in Baisaran were three terrorists and all three have been killed," he said. Shah said all three were Pakistani nationals and identified two of them as members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan. "Indian security agencies have detailed evidence of their involvement in the attack," he said in a speech in the lower house of parliament. Monday's operation took place in the mountains of Dachigam, around 30km from the disputed region's main city of Srinagar, the army said in a statement. The attack in April saw gunmen burst out of forests near Pahalgam and rake crowds of visitors with automatic weapons. All those killed were listed as residents of India except one man from Nepal. Survivors said gunmen had separated the men from the women and children and ordered some of the men to recite the Muslim declaration of faith. India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied, sparking an intense four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides. Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and the neighbours - who both claim the region in full - have fought two wars and several conflicts over its control. Shah said a security meeting was held immediately after the attack and it was decided that the attackers should not be "allowed to leave the country and return to Pakistan". Investigators relied on eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence to establish that the rifles found on the men were the same that were used in the April attack, he said. "It was confirmed that these three rifles were involved in killing of our innocent civilians," said Shah. A shadowy group called The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the April attack. But as public criticism mounted over the killings, the group retracted its claim. Earlier this month, the United States described the TRF as a "front and proxy"
France 24
3 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Gunmen involved in Indian Kashmir tourist attack killed: minister
The heavily-armed men were killed in a military operation on Monday, more than three months after 26 people were gunned down in a popular resort town of Indian Kashmir on April 22. "I want to tell the parliament (that) those who attacked in Baisaran were three terrorists and all three have been killed," he said. Shah said all three were Pakistani nationals and identified two of them as members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan. "Indian security agencies have detailed evidence of their involvement in the attack," he said in a speech in the lower house of parliament. Monday's operation took place in the mountains of Dachigam, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the disputed region's main city of Srinagar, the army said in a statement. The attack in April saw gunmen burst out of forests near Pahalgam and rake crowds of visitors with automatic weapons. All those killed were listed as residents of India except one man from Nepal. Survivors said gunmen had separated the men from the women and children and ordered some of the men to recite the Muslim declaration of faith. India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied, sparking an intense four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides. Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and the neighbours -- who both claim the region in full -- have fought two wars and several conflicts over its control. Shah said a security meeting was held immediately after the attack and it was decided that the attackers should not be "allowed to leave the country and return to Pakistan". Investigators relied on eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence to establish that the rifles found on the men were the same that were used in the April attack, he said. "It was confirmed that these three rifles were involved in killing of our innocent civilians," said Shah. A shadowy group called The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the April attack. But as public criticism mounted over the killings, the group retracted its claim. Earlier this month, the United States described the TRF as a "front and proxy" of Lashkar-e-Taiba. © 2025 AFP
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
India says gunmen involved in Indian-administered Kashmir tourist attack killed
New Delhi: Indian security forces have killed three gunmen who were involved in an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir, home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday. The heavily armed men were killed in a military operation on Monday, more than three months after 26 people were gunned down in a popular resort town of Indian Kashmir on April 22. 'I want to tell the parliament (that) those who attacked in Baisaran were three terrorists and all three have been killed,' he said. Shah identified two of the three killed as members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan. 'Indian security agencies have detailed evidence of their involvement in the attack,' he said in a speech in the lower house of parliament. Monday's operation took place in the mountains of Dachigam, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the disputed region's main city of Srinagar, the army said in a statement. The attack in April saw gunmen burst out of forests near Pahalgam and rake crowds of visitors with automatic weapons. All those killed were listed as residents of India except one man from Nepal. India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied, sparking an intense four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides. Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and the neighbors — who both claim the region in full — have fought two wars and several conflicts over its control.
