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1st LD Writethru: UN chief slams deadly attacks in Afghanistan

Xinhua, July 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday condemned "in the strongest terms" the recent attacks in Afghanistan that killed and injured more than 100 civilians, including women and children, said a statement of the spokesperson for the secretary-general.

The heinous attacks in Khost and Baghlan Provinces and Kabul city occurred near spaces of public assembly, including a bazaar as well as mosque where civilians had gathered to pray, said the statement.

The secretary-general expressed his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in the face of such attacks. He conveyed his deepest condolences to the government of Afghanistan and to the families of the victims and wished those injured a swift recovery, said the statement.

Ban called for the persons responsible for these attacks to be brought to justice.

At least 33 people have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack near a military base in Afghanistan's Khost Province on Sunday, according to media reports. Around 12 of those killed were children, according to the United Nations.

Another attack deliberately targeted crowds at a mosque in Baghlan Province on Monday when an improvised explosive device detonated and wounded more than 40 civilians, with many in critical condition, according to local media.

Earlier, a Taliban suicide attack targeting a NATO convoy in Afghanistan killed two people and wounded 26, including two U.S. Soldiers, on June 30.

The war between Afghanistan government forces and Taliban insurgents since their hardline Islamist regime was toppled in 2001 has claimed thousands of lives, with the number of civilian victims on the rise in recent years. Endi