Kulgam gunfight erupts after Pahalgam attack

A high-ranking commander of The Resistance Front (TRF) has been cornered in an ongoing gunfight between militants and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district. The encounter in the Tangmarg area erupted a day after a devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam claimed the lives of 26 individuals.

This attack, one of the most severe targeting civilians in recent years, was attributed to the TRF, a group linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

On Tuesday afternoon, a group of five to six militants launched an assault on tourists in the Baisaran meadow, located approximately five kilometers from Pahalgam.

Accessible solely by foot or horseback, the area became the scene of horror as militants emerged from pine forests, opening fire on picnickers, pony riders, and food stall patrons. Victims included mostly tourists, among them two foreigners from the UAE and Nepal, as well as two local residents.

The attack drew swift responses from top Indian officials. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia at the time, returned to India to convene a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in New Delhi, focusing on the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah rushed to Srinagar hours after the attack. He conducted a high-level security review alongside Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir. Shah also visited Pahalgam to observe the site firsthand and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased and the survivors.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed grave concern, describing the attack as unparalleled in its brutality against civilians in recent years.

National leaders have universally condemned the atrocity, voicing their grief and denouncing the incident.

Security forces have intensified search efforts across the region in a bid to apprehend those responsible and thwart further threats.