The United States Tuesday expressed "outrage" at the killing of 35 Sikh residents by militants in Kashmir on March 20 , the Press Trust of India ( PTI) reported.

"On behalf of the President and all Americans, let me express our outrage at the attack on a village in Kashmir last night. Our most profound sympathies go out to the victims of this brutal massacre, our thoughts and prayers are with the survivors and their families," President Clinton's Press Secretary Joe Lockhart was quoted as saying in a statement here.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, Clinton, who just started his five- day state visit to India, conveyed his concern over the massacre to Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during a brief meeting with the latter at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, or the Presidential Palace, where he was accorded a ceremonial reception.

The murder of the 35 Sikhs, all male residents in a village in south Kashmir, occurred at around 9 p.m. Monday evening and was described by the PTI as the first militant attack on local Sikh community over the past decade. No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the incident.