India blames Pakistan for a deadly attack in Kashmir and suspends a key water treaty

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — India blamed Pakistan on Wednesday for a militant attack that killed 26 people in Indian-held Kashmir, downgrading diplomatic ties and suspending a crucial water-sharing treaty that has withstood two wars between the nuclear-armed rivals.

The spray of gunfire at tourists Tuesday in a scenic, mountain-ringed valley was the worst assault in years targeting civilians in the restive region that is claimed by both countries. The unidentified gunmen also wounded 17 other people.

India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, announced the diplomatic moves against Pakistan at a news conference in New Delhi late Wednesday, saying a special cabinet meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided that the attack had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. However, the government provided no evidence of this publicly.

Pakistan said it would respond more fully to India's actions on Thursday, but in the meantime Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad said that India was using “an unfortunate incident of terrorism” as a pretext to jettison a treaty it has long been trying to evade.

India describes militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.

Misri said that the Indus Water Treaty would be suspended “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” He said a number of Pakistani diplomats in New Delhi were asked to leave, and Indian diplomats were recalled from Pakistan, reducing diplomatic officials for both countries from 55 to 30.

Misri also said the main land border crossing between the countries would be closed.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country would respond to the Indian government's decisions after a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday.

The Indus Water Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, allows for sharing the waters of a river system that is a lifeline for both countries, particularly for Pakistan's agriculture. The treaty has survived two wars between the countries, in 1965 and 1971, and a major border skirmish in 1999.

Indian forces on Wednesday launched a manhunt for the assailants. Tens of thousands of police and soldiers fanned out across the region and erected additional checkpoints. They searched cars, used helicopters to search forested mountains and in some areas summoned former militants to police stations for questioning, reports said. Many shops and businesses in Kashmir closed to protest the killings.

Police called the assault a “terror attack” and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh vowed to “not only trace those who perpetrated the attack but also trace those who conspired to commit this nefarious act on our soil."

Kashmir Resistance, a previously unknown militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack on social media. The group said Indian authorities had settled over 85,000 “outsiders” in the region and claimed that those targeted on Tuesday were not “ordinary tourists” but “were linked to and affiliated with Indian security agencies.”

The group’s messages could not be independently verified.

Earlier this month, the local government told its legislature that 83,742 Indians were granted rights to buy land and property in Kashmir in the last two years.

Officials said 24 of the people killed were Indian tourists. One was from Nepal, and another was a local tourist guide. At least 17 others were wounded.

Pakistan extended condolences to the victims’ families.

“We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement while wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.

Kashmir has seen a spate of deadly attacks on Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, since New Delhi ended the region’s semi-autonomy in 2019 and drastically curbed dissent, civil liberties and media freedoms.

New Delhi has vigorously pushed tourism, and the region has drawn millions of visitors to its Himalayan foothills. Indian officials have claimed that as a sign of normalcy returning, despite the presence of ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers. Until Tuesday, tourists were not targeted.

Following the attack, panicked tourists started to leave Kashmir.

Monojit Debnath, from the Indian city of Kolkata, said Kashmir was beautiful, but his family did not feel secure anymore.

“We are tourists, and we should think about what safety we have here for us,” Debnath told the Press Trust of India news agency as he was leaving Srinagar, the region’s main city, with his family.

“It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media. “But at the same time, we totally understand why people would want to leave.”

On Wednesday, India’s powerful home minister, Amit Shah, attended a ceremony at a police command center in Srinagar, where the slain tourists were paid floral tributes. He also met families of several victims.

Shah vowed to “come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences.”

Later, Shah visited the site of the killing at Baisaran meadow, some 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the resort town of Pahalgam.

The meadow in Pahalgam is a popular destination, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with pine forests. It is visited by hundreds of tourists every day.

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India has used heavy-handed tactics to maintain its control over the region, including giving the armed forces widespread powers to arrest, torture and summarily execute suspects, human rights groups say.

In March 2000, at least 35 civilians were shot and killed in a southern village in Kashmir shortly before a visit to India by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton.

In 2019, months before New Delhi revoked the region's autonomy, a car bomb attack by militants in southern Pulwama district killed at least 40 paramilitary soldiers and wounded dozens more, bringing India and Pakistan close to war.

Violence has ebbed in the Kashmir Valley, the heart of anti-India rebellion. Fighting between government forces and rebels has largely shifted to remote areas of the Jammu region, including Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua, where Indian troops have faced deadly attacks.

Saaliq and Roy reported from New Delhi. Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

The wife of Atul Mone, who was victim in a deadly attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Kashmir, mourns as she stands near her husband's body at Dombivali near Mumbai, India, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025.(AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

A relative of Hemant Joshi, who was a victim in a deadly attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Kashmir, reacts at Dombivali near Mumbai, India, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025.(AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

The wife of Sanjay Lele, who died in an attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Kashmir, reacts at Dombivali near Mumbai, India, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025.(AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

People protest against the killing of tourists by militants a day after militants indiscriminately opened fire on tourists near Pahalgam in Indian controlled Kashmir, in Guwahati, India, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

People burn a Pakistani flag in protest against the killing of tourists by militants a day after militants indiscriminately opened fire on tourists near Pahalgam in Indian controlled Kashmir, in Guwahati, India, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

People burn a Pakistani flag in protest against the killing of tourists by militants a day after militants indiscriminately opened fire on tourists near Pahalgam in Indian controlled Kashmir, in Guwahati, India, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A child holds a candle during a candlelight protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, a day after an attack killed at least 26 people, most of them tourists. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

People hold candles during a candlelight protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, a day after an attack killed at least 26 people, most of them tourists. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Security personnel patrol a street the morning after militants indiscriminately opened fire on tourists near Pahalgam in Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

People shout slogans against Pakistan during a protest against the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu, India, Wednesday, April 23, 2025.(AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Security personnel patrol a street the morning after militants indiscriminately opened fire on tourists near Pahalgam in Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) members attend a protest after tourists were killed, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Indian security officers patrol a shopping area in Pahalgam a day after militants indiscriminately opened fire on tourists near the town, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Relatives and friends of killed tourists move in a bus towards the airport in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Women and children watch the funeral procession of Adil Hussain Shah, a daily-wage worker, who died when militants indiscriminately opened fire on a crowd of mainly tourists on Tuesday, at his village Hapatnar, about 20 km (13 miles) from Pahalgam where the incident took place, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

The body of Adil Hussain Shah, a daily-wage worker, who was killed when militants indiscriminately opened fire on a crowd of mainly tourists on Tuesday, is carried for burial at his village Hapatnar, about 20 km (13 miles) from Pahalgam where the incident took place, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A relative wails during the funeral procession of Adil Hussain Shah, a daily-wage worker, who died when militants indiscriminately opened fire on a crowd of mainly tourists on Tuesday, at his village Hapatnar, about 20 km (13 miles) from Pahalgam where the incident took place, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Police guard as ambulances carry bodies of tourists, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Relatives of and friends of killed tourists move in a bus towards airport in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Pigeons fly in the city centre during a shut down after tourists were killed, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

An Indian policeman guards in the city centre during a shut down after tourists were killed, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Indian policemen guard in the city centre during a shut down after tourists were killed, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Indian soldiers guard in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Indian soldiers guard in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Kashmiri men shout slogans during a protest after tourists were killed in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Kashmiri men shout slogans during a protest after tourists were killed in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Police guard as ambulances carry bodies of tourists, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Police guard as ambulances carry bodies of tourists, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after the audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is “in a lot of trouble.”

The comments from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the ouster of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.

With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Who's next?

“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.”

Trump, in his administration's National Security Strategy published last month, laid out restoring “American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere” as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.

Trump has also pointed to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the Roosevelt Corollary — a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panama’s secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S. — as he's made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. president's foundational document as the “Don-roe Doctrine.”

Saturday's dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trump’s comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement that Trump has "no right to annex" the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.

“I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen said.

Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that “the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected” as Trump has vowed to “run” Venezuela and pressed the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.

Trump on Sunday mocked Denmark’s efforts at boosting Greenland’s national security posture, saying the Danes have added “one more dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.

Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: “SOON."

“And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Amb. Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark's chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trump's influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

During his presidential transition and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.

The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland.

The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump “make Greenland a part of the U.S.”

Meanwhile, concern simmered in Cuba, one of Venezuela’s most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new stern warning to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

Rubio, in an appearance on NBC's “Meet the Press,” said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.

“It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” Rubio said. “He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards.” The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of “internal intelligence” in Maduro’s government, including “who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.”

Trump said that “a lot” of Cuban guards tasked with protecting Maduro were killed in the operation. The Cuban government said in a statement read on state television on Sunday evening that 32 officers were killed in the U.S. military operation.

Trump also said that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, is in tatters and will slide further now with the ouster of Maduro, who provided the Caribbean island subsidized oil.

“It's going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It's going down for the count.”

Cuban authorities called a rally in support of Venezuela’s government and railed against the U.S. military operation, writing in a statement: “All the nations of the region must remain alert, because the threat hangs over all of us.”

Rubio, a former Florida senator and son of Cuban immigrants, has long maintained Cuba is a dictatorship repressing its people.

“This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live — and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States," Rubio said.

Cubans like 55-year-old biochemical laboratory worker Bárbara Rodríguez were following developments in Venezuela. She said she worried about what she described as an “aggression against a sovereign state.”

“It can happen in any country, it can happen right here. We have always been in the crosshairs,” Rodríguez said.

AP writers Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba, and Darlene Superville traveling aboard Air Force One contributed reporting.

In this photo released by the White House, President Donald Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Venezuela, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Molly Riley/The White House via AP)