Was Pahalgam attack during Vance's India visit planned or coincidental?
What's the story
The terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 tourists took place while US Vice President JD Vance was in Jaipur as part of his four-day visit to India.
The attack follows a pattern commonly adopted by terrorists, which is attacking civilians at a time when a foreign leader is visiting the country.
The incident has aroused suspicions that the attack may have been planned and not a coincidence.
Here are some examples:
Historical context
Pahalgam attack follows a familiar terrorist pattern
In 2000, days before then-US President Bill Clinton was set to visit India, terrorists attacked Chittisinghpura village in the Valley, killing 36 Sikhs.
Gunmen in Army fatigues came in military trucks from both ends, introducing themselves as Indian Army personnel.
They ordered every male member of the household to come outside for security checks. They then told them to line up in front of the gurdwaras and opened fire, killing 36 of them.
Christina B Rocca
Terrorists attacked Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus
Again in 2002, when then US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina B Rocca was in India, terrorists attacked a Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus near Kaluchak, killing seven people.
The attackers then entered the Army's family quarters and shot indiscriminately, killing 23 individuals, including 10 children, eight women, and five Army members.
Rocca immediately denounced the terrorist attack, stating that it was precisely this type of "barbarism that the war on terrorism is determined to stop."
On-ground impact
Eyewitness accounts from Pahalgam attack
In the recent Pahalgam attack, about four to six terrorists dressed in military uniforms appeared from the surrounding forests and opened fire.
Eyewitnesses recounted how the attackers interrogated their victims, asking their names before opening fire.
"They asked my father to recite an Islamic verse. When he failed...they pumped three bullets into him, one on the head, one behind the ear and another in the back," Asavari Jagdale from Maharashtra's Pune, whose father was killed in the attack, said.
US VP
TRF claims responsibility
US Vice President Vance was in Jaipur when the Pahalgam attack happened.
The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Security authorities, including the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Jammu and Kashmir Police, have sealed off the region and begun a large-scale manhunt.
Because of the challenging terrain, helicopters were sent to evacuate the wounded, while locals helped by ferrying casualties on horses down to Pahalgam.