Latest news with #militants
BBC News
14 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
India says it has killed militants who shot dead tourists in Kashmir
India has said its security forces killed three militants who shot dead 26 civilians near a tourist town in Indian-administered Kashmir in April, triggering a brief military conflict with Minister Amit Shah told parliament the men had been killed by Indian forces near the disputed region's main city Srinagar on Monday. He claimed the attackers were Pakistani nationals, a charge Islamabad denies. The men's identity was confirmed through forensic and ballistic tests, Shah told MPs. Pakistan has not commented on the claims, which have not been independently confirmed and come amid mounting criticism of India's government for alleged security lapses in Kashmir. Twenty-six men, mostly Hindu tourists, were killed by gunmen who opened fire at a mountain meadow not far from the scenic town of Pahalgam on 22 April, in one of the deadliest attacks in the region in recent years. The victims were killed in cold blood in front of their wives and family members. A local Muslim pony handler who tried to help them was also shot accused Islamabad of supporting militant groups involved in the attack - a charge Pakistan has repeatedly denied. In May, India launched a series of strikes on sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded with drones, missiles and fighter jets, leading to four days of intense military action from both of people were killed in the bloodiest confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, before US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between them. India's opposition leaders have accused the government of "severe security lapses" and have been questioning why it has taken this much time to catch the parliament on Monday, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi demanded that Shah should personally take responsibility for the attack. "The country wants to know why the government has not been able to nab the terrorists even after 100 days since the attack," he said. Shah responded on Tuesday, saying that security forces had "neutralised the three terrorists" involved in the attack in a mission called "Operation Mahadev". The three died in a gun battle in a wildlife reserve in the mountains of Dachigam, about 30km (18 miles) from Srinagar, the Indian army said on Monday. The clash could not be independently confirmed by the BBC. The army did not immediately identify those it on Tuesday, Shah claimed the men - who he identified as Suleiman Shah, Afghan and Jibran - were Pakistani nationals."When the terrorists were killed [on Monday], we recovered three rifles - one M9 American rifle and two AK-47s. The cartridges we had collected were also from an M9 and AK-47. We sent the rifles last night to the central forensics lab in Chandigarh where they fired them, and these were then compared and it was confirmed these were the three rifles used in the attack to kill our innocent citizens," Shah said."I have the ballistic report," he told the house, holding up some papers. "Six scientists have cross verified it. They told me this morning on a video call these are 100% the bullets that they had fired."At the beginning of the investigation in May, Indian police had issued sketches of three men, saying two were Pakistanis while one was a local in June, Indian investigators said all three militants were Pakistani nationals from the UN-proscribed militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) after it arrested two locals for allegedly sheltering the suspected militants prior to the on Tuesday, Shah clarified that only two men - Suleiman Shah and Afghan - were believed to be LeT members. He did not say which group the Indian authorities thought the third militant Jibran was associated with. The militants were identified by locals who had provided them shelter, he claimed. "We have voter ID numbers of the two of them, we have weapons recovered from them. The chocolates recovered from them are also made in Pakistan," Shah said. "They killed our tourists and now they have been killed."Shah also defended the speed of the investigation amid questions on how the three men had managed to remain undetected over the past three months."Right after the attack, we handed over the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA)," he said. "We made all arrangements with the security and border forces to ensure they [culprits] couldn't leave the country."Some opposition leaders, however, remained unconvinced and questioned the lack of security in Pahalgam on the day of the attack. "Why was not even one security personnel present there?" Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi asked. "Is the safety and security of the citizens not the responsibility of the prime minister, home minister and defence minister?" she asked.
The Independent
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
India says 3 militants behind Kashmir shooting that sparked tensions with Pakistan have been killed
India's home minister said Tuesday that three suspected militants who were killed in a gunfight in disputed Kashmir a day earlier were responsible for the gun massacre in the region that led to a military clash between India and Pakistan. Amit Shah said the three men were Pakistani nationals and were killed in a joint operation by the military, paramilitary and police Monday on the outskirts of Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. Shah made the remarks in India's lower house of the parliament, and The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the details. The April gun massacre killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied responsibility. It led to tit-for-tat military strikes by India and Pakistan that brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of their third war over the region. Dozens of people were killed on both sides until a ceasefire was reached. The four-day fighting between the nuclear-armed rivals was their worst in decades.
Washington Post
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
India says 3 militants behind Kashmir shooting that sparked tensions with Pakistan have been killed
NEW DELHI — India's home minister said Tuesday that three suspected militants who were killed in a gunfight in disputed Kashmir a day earlier were responsible for the gun massacre in the region that led to a military clash between India and Pakistan. Amit Shah said the three men were Pakistani nationals and were killed in a joint operation by the military, paramilitary and police Monday on the outskirts of Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. Shah made the remarks in India's lower house of the parliament, and The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the details.
Associated Press
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
India says 3 militants behind Kashmir shooting that sparked tensions with Pakistan have been killed
NEW DELHI (AP) — India's home minister said Tuesday that three suspected militants who were killed in a gunfight in disputed Kashmir a day earlier were responsible for the gun massacre in the region that led to a military clash between India and Pakistan. Amit Shah said the three men were Pakistani nationals and were killed in a joint operation by the military, paramilitary and police Monday on the outskirts of Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. Shah made the remarks in India's lower house of the parliament, and The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the details. The April gun massacre killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied responsibility. It led to tit-for-tat military strikes by India and Pakistan that brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of their third war over the region. Dozens of people were killed on both sides until a ceasefire was reached. The four-day fighting between the nuclear-armed rivals was their worst in decades.
Bloomberg
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
India Says Three Militants Behind Deadly Kashmir Attacks Killed
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah announced Tuesday that the military had killed the main perpetrators of the deadly Kashmir attacks in April, an operation that comes amid opposition scrutiny over alleged intelligence failure surrounding the incident. During a discussion in the lower house of the Parliament, Shah confirmed that three militants had been killed in Kashmir on Monday. India has recovered evidence of their involvement in the Pahalgam attack, he said.
