US Warns Citizens Against Travel to Jammu and Kashmir Following Pahalgam Attack

24th April 2025 at 2:39 PM

1 minute read

Security personnel inspect the site in the aftermath of an attack as food stall chairs lie empty in Pahalgam, about 90km (55 miles) from Srinagar on April 23, 2025. Indian security forces in Kashmir carried out a major manhunt on April 23, a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists killing 26 people in the region's deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. (Photo by TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP)

The United States has revised its travel advisory for India, urging American citizens to avoid Jammu and Kashmir and areas within 10 kilometers of the India-Pakistan border following a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

The advisory, updated on Wednesday, comes in response to a Tuesday attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where terrorists killed 26 people, primarily tourists, marking the region’s deadliest assault since the 2019 Pulwama attack.

“Terrorist incidents and violent unrest remain a risk in Jammu and Kashmir. Travel to this union territory is not advised, except for the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh,” stated the US Department of State in its advisory. It highlighted that sporadic violence is frequent along the Line of Control (LOC) between India and Pakistan and in popular tourist destinations like Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam.

The advisory also cautioned against traveling within 10 kilometers of the India-Pakistan border due to the risk of armed conflict.

On Wednesday, India took diplomatic measures in response to the attack’s cross-border connections, suspending the 1960 Indus Water Treaty and downgrading ties with Pakistan, including expelling its military attaches.