UPDATE - UN Secretary General Condemns Kabul Mosque Attack - Spokesperson

Umer Jamshaid Published May 01, 2022 | 05:30 AM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st May, 2022) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the attack on the Khalifa Sahib mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul that reportedly killed at least 10 people, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq said.

"The Secretary-General strongly condemns yesterday's deadly attack on the Khalifa Sahib Mosque in western Kabul during Friday prayers. He extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a swift recovery to those injured," Haq said in a Saturday statement.

According to the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA), the Friday explosion damaged the mosque's roof, which caved in on worshippers.

UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan Ramiz Alakbarov said on Friday that the blast reportedly resulted in the death of at least 10 people, and injured up to fifteen.

A series of deadly blasts have occurred in Afghanistan in the past days.

On Thursday, two explosions killed at least nine people and injured over a dozen others in Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province. The Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) claimed responsibility for the twin blasts. On Saturday, Afghan police spokesman Khalid Zadran said that at least one woman was killed and three other people were injured in an explosion in Kabul.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, including the attack on a mosque in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province on April 22, the twin blasts in Mazar-e-Sharif and the Khalifa Sahib mosque attack in Kabul.

"Members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security", the UNSC said on Saturday.

UNSC members emphasized the need to hold all those responsible for the attacks accountable and to bring them to justice as soon as possible.