India destroys homes of two Kashmir attack suspects

Soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir blew up the family homes of two men who police allege were among a gang that carried out the region's deadliest attack against civilians for decades.

Indian security forces are searching for those responsible for killing 26 men in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

Police say they are members of the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), designated a terrorist organisation by the United Nations.

They have issued wanted posters with sketches of three men: Indian national Adil Hussain Thoker, as well as Pakistani citizens Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa.

They are also searching for Indian citizen Ashif Sheikh.

Members of the two Indian fugitives' immediate families were detained for questioning after the attack, the officer and their relatives said.

Police said the men were part of a LeT faction called The Resistance Front (TRF).

"Both have been active for three to four years, and are part of TRF which is an offshoot of LeT," a police intelligence officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

"They are wanted militants involved in earlier attacks as well on security forces," the officer added.

Police have offered a two million rupee (€20,737) bounty for information leading to each man's arrest.

The United Nations has urged India and Pakistan to show "maximum restraint" as the nuclear-armed rivals imposed tit-for-tat diplomatic measures following the attack.

Relations have plunged to their lowest level in years, with India accusing Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism".

"We very much appeal to both the governments... to exercise maximum restraint, and to ensure that the situation and the developments we've seen do not deteriorate any further," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York yesterday.

"Any issues between Pakistan and India, we believe, can be and should be resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement".

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to hunt down the gunmen responsible for Tuesday's attack.

"I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer," Mr Modi said, in his first speech since the attack in the Himalayan region.

"We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth."

Denying any involvement, Pakistan called attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack "frivolous" and vowed to respond to any Indian action.

"Any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains," a Pakistani statement said, after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a rare National Security Committee with top military chiefs.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since its independence in 1947, with both claiming the territory in full but governing separate portions of it.

Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.

India's air force and navy both carried out military exercises yesterday.

A day after the attack, India suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties, and withdrew visas for Pakistanis.

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In response, Pakistan ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals - with the exception of Sikh pilgrims - and closing the main border crossing from its side.

Pakistan also warned any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River would be an "act of war."

'Reduce it to dust'

Pahalgam marks a dramatic shift in recent Kashmiri rebel attacks, which typically target Indian security forces.

Experts say that a military response may still be in the pipeline, with some speculating that it may come within days, while others say weeks.

In 2019, a suicide attack killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan, bringing the countries to the brink of all-out war.

"Whatever little land these terrorists have, it's time to reduce it to dust," Mr Modi said, after holding two minutes of silence in memory of those killed, all but one of whom was Indian.

India has taken its time to respond to past attacks.

The worst attack in recent years in Indian-run Kashmir was at Pulwama in 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy, killing 40 and wounding 35.

Indian fighter jets carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory 12 days later.

Tuesday's assault occurred as tourists enjoyed tranquil mountain views at the popular site at Pahalgam, when gunmen burst out of forests and raked crowds with automatic weapons.

Survivors told Indian media the gunmen targeted men and spared those who could give the Islamic declaration of faith.

Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the attackers, with large numbers of people detained.

The attack has enraged Hindu nationalist groups, and students from Kashmir at institutions across India have reported experiencing harassment and intimidation.