In a Meadow Cars Can't Access, a Bloody Massacre

The New York Times calls it a "major security lapse in what is one of the world's most militarized zones": Gunmen burst out of forests and murdered 26 people—24 of them Indian tourists, reports the AP—at a picnic spot in Indian-controlled Kashmir. It's a Himalayan territory that both India and Pakistan have voiced their claim to in its entirety since the end of British colonial rule, though each administers a portion of it. And as the Times reports, "there is growing concern in New Delhi that the pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to respond decisively could once again raise the specter of cross-border conflict with neighboring Pakistan." More:

• The victims: Kashmir is Muslim majority, and witnesses have suggested the militants targeted Hindus in the attack, specifically going after men. The Times reports all but one of the dead are Hindu. Many members of the minority community left Kashmir in the '90s after being targeted by militants.
• The attackers: The BBC reports that witnesses described seeing four gunmen who carried out a shooting for as long as 30 minutes. India has yet to name any specific group as being behind the attack, though one source told the Times the involvement of Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba was suspected. The AP reports Indian forces have launched a manhunt for those responsible, employing everything from checkpoints to helicopters.
• The location: The BBC reports the shooting occurred in the Baisaran meadow, which can't be accessed via car. It's reached via foot or on horseback from Pahalgam, a town about 3 miles away.

• One story: One man says his 60-year-old father, Kaustubh Gunbote, was among the victims. "He was shot in front of my mother," Kunal Gunbote tells the Times. "They were all made to lie down ... The government says that this place is secure, but there was no security for miles around. My mother said that the terrorists came at leisure—strolling around and asking people their names."
• Another story: The BBC reports that a man who'd married just six days prior was among the dead. "He wanted to go to Switzerland for his honeymoon but did not get a visa," says his grandfather, so 26-year-old Navy officer Vinay Narwal was honeymooning in Pahalgam instead.
• The tourism angle: Per the AP, "New Delhi has vigorously pushed tourism and the region has drawn millions of visitors to its Himalayan foothills. Officials have claimed that as a sign of normalcy returning, despite the presence of ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles, and patrolling soldiers. Until Tuesday, tourists were not targeted." Given that tight security, questions are being raised about whether a security lapse helped facilitate the attack.
• More on Kashmir's history: Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of the territory have been trying to end India's rule since 1989. The AP reports that "many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels' goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country."

(More Kashmir stories.)