Three months after a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir sparked military tensions with Pakistan, India's security forces say they have killed the three men responsible. According to Home Minister Amit Shah, the militants—all identified as Pakistani nationals—were killed in a shootout near Srinagar following a manhunt through the region's forests. Political pressure has been building since the April killings, the New York Times reports, and India's Parliament is debating the government's handling of both the attack and its aftermath. Opposition leaders have criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration for failing to quickly apprehend the attackers and for its approach to the conflict overall.
India's home minister said the identities of the three men were confirmed through forensic and ballistic tests and that they were Pakistani nationals, per the BBC. Shah made a display of the claim in Parliament on Tuesday, holding up papers and announcing he had the ballistic report that confirms that three rifles recovered when the three men were killed were used in the April killings. "Six scientists have cross verified it," he told the chamber. Shah said authorities have voter ID numbers for two of the three men. "The chocolates recovered from them are also made in Pakistan," he said.
Pakistan has denied India's accusation that it was involved in the attack and called for an independent investigation, per Reuters. Most of the 26 people killed were tourists. Modi's response included lessening diplomatic ties with Pakistan and suspending their water-sharing agreements. And there was a military response: The cross-border conflict featured airstrikes on reputed militant camps in Pakistan and Pakistan shooting down Indian jets. President Trump claimed credit for brokering a ceasefire by threatening both sides with trade repercussions, a narrative India has played down.
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