Pahalgam Attack: PM returns from Saudi; Rahul Gandhi dials Shah, Omar Abdullah; death toll at 26

Security forces continue a massive crackdown in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam district following Tuesday’s terror attack that left at least 26 people dead, including two foreign nationals, and 20 others injured.

The Army, CRPF, Special Operations Group (SOG), and Jammu Police have cordoned off large areas as helicopters and drones scour the region for the attackers. A forensic team is en route, while National Investigation Agency (NIA) teams from Delhi and Jammu are set to begin their probe once combing operations conclude.

The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack that targeted a group of tourists in broad daylight.

In the wake of the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned to India late last night from an official visit to Saudi Arabia, was briefed at Delhi airport by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, and the Foreign Secretary.

The Prime Minister will chair a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also expected to visit Pahalgam to assess the situation first-hand.

All schools and colleges across the Valley have been shut, and a state of high alert remains in force. The bodies of those killed have been moved from Pahalgam Hospital to Srinagar.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he had spoken with Home Minister Shah, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and J&K Pradesh Congress Committee President Tariq Karra. He called for justice for the victims and assured the bereaved families of his party’s full support.

The Congress on Tuesday had asked the government to take accountability for the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir instead of making "hollow claims" on the situation being normal in the Union Territory and demanded that an all-party meeting be called to take political parties into confidence.

The opposition party denounced the terror attack as a blot on humanity and said it should not go "unanswered effectively".

The deceased included two foreigners -- from the UAE and Nepal -- and two locals, officials said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has described the terror attack as "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years".

With PTI inputs