New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS): Central Ministers here on Sunday described the killing of 17 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir as "disturbing" and an attempt to destabilise the state.

"Loss of precious lives of Indian jawans (soldiers) is a disturbing moment for all of us. I shudder to think how the nation can ever repay their sacrifices. We need to put our heads together and devise a strategy," Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh told TimesNow news channel.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman said the incident would not deter India from taking tough steps in the state to restore normalcy

"... This would not deter us from getting Jammu and Kashmir back to normalcy," she said.

Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh also called the attack a "proxy war" unleashed by Pakistan.

"It is a proxy war. A country, that is Pakistan, is focusing on how to disturb Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Heavily-armed militants attacked an army camp at Uri early on Sunday morning, killing 17 soldiers and wounding a number of others. Security forces shot dead all four attackers.