US updates travel advisory after Pahalgam terror attack

WASHINGTON: The US has issued an updated advisory after the Pahalgam terror attack asking Americans not to travel to Jammu and Kashmir and also within 10 kilometres of the India-Pakistan border. The update was issued on Wednesday, a day after terrorists opened fire in Kashmir's Pahalgam killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.

"Terrorist attacks and violent civil unrest are possible in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Do not travel to this state (with the exception of visits to the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh).

"Violence happens sporadically in this area and is common along the Line of Control (LOC) between India and Pakistan. It also occurs in tourist spots in the Kashmir Valley: Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam," the US Department of State's updated travel advisory for US citizens said.

It also asked its citizens to avoid going within 10 kilometres of the India-Pakistan border "due to the potential for armed conflict."

India on Wednesday suspended the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and announced downgrading diplomatic ties with Pakistan, including expulsion of its military attaches, in view of the cross-border links to the Pahalgam terror attack.