The United States US has strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, IIOJK, that claimed 26 lives, while refraining from taking a stance on the region’s political status or on efforts to ease tensions between India and Pakistan.
At a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce expressed solidarity with India, stating that the United States “stands with India” and opposes “all acts of terrorism.”
“We pray for the lives lost and for the recovery of the injured, and we urge that those responsible for this heinous act be brought to justice,” Bruce said, referring to the deadly incident in Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist destination in Pahalgam.
She added that Washington is “closely monitoring” the situation but emphasized that the United States is not taking a position on the status of Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
“The president and secretary have previously expressed their views clearly. I have nothing further to add on that front,” she said.
The recent attack allegedly carried out by militants with “cross-border linkages,” according to Indian officials, has significantly heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Pakistan has firmly denied any involvement, calling the accusations unfounded and unsupported by credible evidence.
In the aftermath, both countries have taken a series of retaliatory diplomatic and political steps: closing their only active land border, halting mutual travel visa services, expelling each other’s defense envoys, and reducing embassy staff.
Additionally, India has suspended the Indus Water Treaty, a landmark 1960 agreement brokered by the World Bank that regulates the sharing of the Indus River system. Pakistan has warned that any attempt to disrupt or redirect water flows from the river will be regarded as an act of war.
