WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation today released the following statement from Jeff Smith, director of Heritage's Asian Studies Center, condemning the deadly terrorist attack in India on Tuesday:  

“It is with great sadness we mourn yet another heinous terrorist attack suffered by our great friends in India. The brutal murder of Indian tourists in Kashmir was an unspeakable crime against innocent civilians. India and the U.S. share a tragic bond, having both faced the most depraved consequences of Islamist terrorism. 

 

“We applaud President Trump’s recent decision to extradite to India the plotter behind the deadly 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, Tahawwur Rana. And we urge the Trump administration to break new boundaries strengthening counterterrorism cooperation with India. 

 

“Finally, if this attack, like so many of its predecessors, is traced back to Pakistan, there must be accountability. Pakistan’s use of terrorism as a proxy—from Afghanistan to Kashmir to Mumbai—has been a scourge that has set the region ablaze for too long.” 

Yesterday, gunmen opened fire in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, killing more than two dozen Indian citizens and tourists—and injuring many more. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in India since the 2008 Mumbai attack by Pakistani militants which killed 175 people, including six Americans.