In Short
- 26 dead in Pahalgam terror attack targeting tourists
- Pak-based Lashkar-e-Taiba’s offshoot claims attack
- Security forces intensify search for attackers
One of the terrorists who opened fire on a group of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam was seen wielding an AK-47 in a photo accessed by India Today. The attacker, dressed in a grey kurta pajama, was captured on camera from behind with an AK-47 in his hand. Twenty-six people lost their lives in the deadly attack at Baisaran meadow, known as ‘mini Switzerland’, at around 2:30 pm on Tuesday.
The Resistance Front, a local offshoot of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the rare attack on tourists in J&K. Security forces are now intensifying efforts to track down the attackers.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos and horror as gunfire erupted, sending visitors running for cover in the open grassland. “There was no place to hide,” said one witness, recalling the desperate attempts of tourists to escape. Visuals from the site showed bodies strewn across the meadow while women cried in distress as locals rushed to provide aid.