At least five gunmen were killed after the gunmen opened fire on the tourists in Kashmir

At least five people were killed after the gunmen opened fire on a group of local tourists visiting a famous cosmetic place in the Indian director Kashmir.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas, which is often described as “Switzerland in India”.

The prime minister of the region, Omar Abdullah, said that the attack is “much greater than anything we have seen as civilians in recent years.”

According to reports, a number of people were also injured in the attack. The Lieutenant Ruler in the area, Manoj Sinha, said that the army and the police were deployed at the scene.

Sinha wrote on the incident as a “cowardly terrorist attack on tourists,” X: “I assure people behind this Japanese attack that will not pass without punishment.”

No group demanded the responsibility of the attack. There has been a long -term rebellion in the Islamic majority region since 1989, although violence has declined in recent years.

The attack took place in Bazran, Marj Al -Jabal three miles (5 km) from Paalgam.

Video footage published by the Indian media The Indian forces seem to be heading towards the scene of the attack, while the victims can be heard in other footage, saying that the militants have allocated non -Muslims.

Police said that many tourists had been transferred to the hospital with gunshot wounds. The area has been cordoned off and the search is conducted to find the perpetrators.

Since the nineties, armed separatist rebellion against Indian rule in the region has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including those of civilians and security forces.

The Himalayan region was divided after India’s independence from Britain, and the division and creation of Pakistan in 1947.

Both nuclear armed states claim that the region is in its entirety and fought two wars and a limited conflict around it in the contracts that followed.

About 500,000 Indian soldiers are deployed permanently in the region.

While the fighting has decreased since Prime Minister Narendra Modi canceled the partial independence of Kashmir in 2019, there are still violent incidents.

Paalgam is a famous tourist destination, drawing local and international tourists.

About 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures.