Rajnath Singh vows to target both 'attackers & their masters' in wake of Pahalgam attack

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday thundered out a warning to the terrorists, and their handlers, behind the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people were killed, vowing direct retaliation and that India would identify and bring to justice everyone who conspired against it. "We will not only reach those who attacked us... we will also reach those who hid behind a curtain to carry out this conspiracy against India. Both attackers and their masters will be targeted," he said, hours after meeting the Chief of Defence Staff and the three military chiefs.

"We are united in the face of terror and India has a zero-tolerance policy (for terrorism). We will take each and every necessary and appropriate step," the Defence Minister said. Earlier today the Defence Minister was briefed on the security situation, in Pahalgam and across J&K, by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and his Navy counterpart, Admiral Dinesh Tripathi.

He will later take part in a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The CCS is the highest decision-making body on national security.

Twenty-six people, including a newly-wed Naval officer, tourists and civilians, were killed in the afternoon attack by three terrorists. Two of the three are believed to be foreigners and all have links to The Resistance Front, a proxy of banned Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.