The United States has advised its citizens not to travel to India-administered Kashmir and within 10 kilometres of the India-Pakistan border. Travel to Manipur and several parts of central and eastern India has also been discouraged. This warning follows a deadly attack by armed gunmen in Pahalgam on Tuesday (April 22).
On Wednesday (April 24), the US State Department issued new travel guidelines for India. It advised exercising at least a Level 2 caution when travelling anywhere in India. However, the US has issued a Level 4 warning, its highest level, advising against travel to four regions in the country.
Tuesday's terrorist attack in Pahalgam claimed the lives of at least 26 people, most of whom were tourists. This was the deadliest attack in Kashmir Valley since the 2019 Pulwama incident.
The US warning stated that terrorist attacks and violent civil unrest could occur in Jammu and Kashmir, a union territory of India. Travel to this region is strongly advised against (though travel to Ladakh and its capital, Leh, is permitted). Additionally, due to the potential for armed conflict, travel within 10 kilometres of the India-Pakistan border should be avoided.
The advisory also noted that Maoist extremist groups, or Naxalites, are active in large parts of India. These groups have carried out numerous attacks targeting local police, paramilitary forces, and government officials.
Due to the severity of the threats, US officials require prior approval before travelling to most parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Odisha. However, no such approval is needed if they are visiting only the capital cities of these states. Approval is also required for US officials travelling to eastern Maharashtra and eastern Madhya Pradesh.
Due to violence among ethnic insurgents, the US has also advised reconsidering travel to certain areas in Northeast India. American officials must obtain prior approval to travel to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, and to visit areas outside the capital cities in Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura.
