India vows 'loud and clear' response to Kashmir attack

'Those responsible and behind such an act will very soon hear our response, loud and clear,' says Rajnath Singh

- Agence France-Presse

India's defence minister vowed on Wednesday a swift response to those who carried out and planned the Kashmir region's worst attack on civilians in years.

"Those responsible and behind such an act will very soon hear our response, loud and clear," Rajnath Singh said in a speech in New Delhi, a day after gunmen killed 26 men at a tourist hotspot in the contested Himalayan region.

"We won't just reach those people who carried out the attack. We will also reach out to those who planned this from behind the scenes on our land."

Singh did not identify those he believes are responsible for the killings, but said that "India's government will take every step that may be necessary and appropriate".

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in the Muslim-majority region where rebels have waged an insurgency since 1989.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged that those responsible for the "heinous act" will "be brought to justice."

Modi is set to hold an emergency cabinet meeting with top security chiefs later on Wednesday.