WASHINGTON (CNN) –Alleged violence by government troops in Guinea represents “criminality of the greatest degree,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday.

“We were appalled and outraged by the recent violence in Guinea,” Clinton told reporters after a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. “The indiscriminate killing and raping that took place under government control by government troops was a vile violation of the rights of the people in that country.”

She said the government of Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara should offer a “profound apology” to Guinea’s people and give up power.

Human rights groups said that close to 160 people were killed on September 28 when tens of thousands of people showed up at a stadium to protest the rule of Camara, who seized power in a bloodless coup in December.

Clinton, an ardent supporter of women’s rights, said she was “particularly appalled” by the crimes against women. She said the United States will take “appropriate actions” against Guinea’s government, adding that “those who committed those acts should not be given any reason to expect that they will escape justice.”