Mutilation an act of extreme form of barbarism: Jaitley

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said the whole country has full confidence and faith in its armed forces and that the sacrifice of the two soldiers will not go in vain, an assertion seen as a warning to Pakistan.

"Two of our soldiers in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch have been killed and their bodies mutilated by our neighbour. This is a reprehensible and an inhuman act. Such attacks don't even take place during war, let alone during peace time.

"Bodies of soldiers being mutilated is an extreme form of barbaric act," the defence minister said.

Under the cover of heavy mortar fire, a Pakistani special forces team sneaked 250 metres across the Line of Control (LoC) into the Poonch sector and beheaded two Indian security personnel today, officials said in Jammu.

"The Government of India strongly condemns this act and the whole country has full confidence and faith in our armed forces which will react appropriately to this inhuman act. The sacrifice of these two soldiers will not go in vain," Jaitley said.

The Indian Army vowed an "appropriate" response to the "despicable act", which significantly took place a day after Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa visited some areas along the LoC and promised support to the Kashmiris.

The soldiers killed were Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh of 22 Sikh Infantry and Head Constable Prem Sagar of 200th Battalion of BSF.