New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) The Rashtriya Swasyamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Tuesday condemned the terror strike in Kashmir's Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, terming it an attack on country's unity and integrity and asked the government to take appropriate steps to punish the culprits.

Terrorists opened fire at a famed meadow near Kashmir's Pahalgam town on Tuesday afternoon, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike.

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The dead included two foreigners and two locals, a high-ranking official said without getting into details.

The toll is still being ascertained, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said while describing the terror attack as "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years".

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Condoling the deaths in the dastardly terror strike, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, in a post in Hindi on X, said, "The brutal terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir is highly condemnable and painful. We pay tributes to those who lost their lives and wish for the speedy recovery of those injured in the terror attack."

This is an attack on the unity and integrity of the country, he said.

"All political parties and organisations should rise above all differences and condemn it. The government should make necessary arrangements to help all the victims and their families. And, the government should take appropriate steps soon to punish those responsible for this attack," Hosabale added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)