Indian Prime Minister has cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia and returned to New Delhi on Wednesday following an attack by militants on tourists near the picturesque town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered .
Security in the region has been beefed up , which targeted civilians, resulting in the death of at least 26 people, with another 17 injured.
The violence was one of the deadliest episodes in a long history of conflict in the disputed region that is divided .
How is India responding to the attack in Kashmir?
Modi was briefed by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar upon his arrival at the airport, according to local reports.
He is also reportedly scheduled to chair a meeting with some of the most senior ministers in his cabinet.
Home Minister Amit Shah met with family members of those who were killed and injured in the attack in the nearby city of Srinagar.
Tens of thousands of security forces were deployed to patrol the region and set up additional checkpoints. Former militants were brought in for questioning and cars were searched.
The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack on social media.
The group reportedly formed after the Modi government to the people of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
Pahalgam attack, one of biggest in years
The assault on civilians on Tuesday has been described as a “terror attack” by Indian officials, with the region’s , posting to social media that the assault “is in recent years.”
The suspected terror attack came as a shock as the picturesque Himalayan region has been relatively safe for civilians during the decadeslong conflict. The number of domestic tourists visiting Kashmir, officially called the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, has increased in recent years.
The last major assault in the region took place in 2019, when a suicide bomber killed 40 members of Indian security forces. A Pakistan-based terror group, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), claimed responsibility for the attack, and India responded by carrying out strikes in northwestern Pakistan.
Edited by: Alex Berry
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