What we know about terrorist attack that killed 26 people unknowingly caught on camera by tourist zip-lining
A man unknowingly captured a horrifying terror attack while he was zip-lining on a family holiday in northern India.
Armed militants shot and killed 26 people at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, Kashmir, last Tuesday (22 April).
Two senior police officers said at least three dozen people were left wounded by at least four militants, who opened fire at dozens of tourists from close range across the grassland area.
“This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.
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Rishi Bhatt, from Gujarat, was visiting Baisaran meadow with his wife and son when the mass shooting took place.
The tourist, who was enjoying himself on the zip liner, accidentally filmed a video of the attack going on in the background.
As he gradually descended on the zipline, gunshots could heard in the background as people were running for safety.
"I saw 5-6 people getting shot," he said, according to The New Indian Express.
"I unlatched my belt and jumped down, took my wife and son and started running away. We saw people hiding at a spot which was like a pit, so you could not spot someone easily there. We too hid there.
"I found out that men in two families ahead of us were asked their religion and shot in front of my wife and son. My wife and son were screaming."
What is the Kashmir Resistance?
The Resistance Front (TRF), also known as the Kashmir Resistance, has claimed the attack, as the terror group is thought to have stemmed from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The United Nations (UN) states that LeT 'is a Pakistan-based organization which has engaged in terrorist activity and supported listed individuals and entities, including Al-Qaida and Usama bin Laden'.
As reported by Reuters, Ajai Sahni, head of the South Asia Terrorism Portal, said that 'all TRF operations are essentially LeT operations'.
"LeT has conducted numerous terrorist operations against military and civilian targets since 1993, including the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, which killed approximately 164 persons and injured hundreds more," the UN explained. It noted that 'LeT is also active in Afghanistan and other Asian countries'.
The Kashmir Resistance, specifically, emerged in 2019 and has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the US.
And the region of Kashmir happens to be a disputed region between India and Pakistan, as tensions stem from territorial ownership and religious differences since the 1947 partition.
Much violence has followed since as the two countries continue to fight over land.
How have India and Pakistan reacted?
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a rally in Bihar on 24 April that he 'strongly' condemned the attack.
"We will pursue them to the ends of the earth," he said, adding: "Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done."
Meanwhile, India has accused Pakistan of backing the attack, according to Sky News, yet Pakistan has denied any involvement.
It comes after Reuters reported on Monday (28 April) that approximately 500 people have been detained for questioning after police searched houses and forests in Kashmir.
Topics: World News, Crime, News, Terrorism
Anish Vij