UNITED NATIONS, March 23 (RIA Novosti) - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the recent attack on the Iman mosque in Damascus, Syria, that killed more than 40 people, including a senior Muslim cleric, and injured dozens.
“The Secretary-General believes that this latest atrocity, along with others prior to it, should be promptly and fully investigated and perpetrators brought to justice,” Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement.
“Deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects, including places of worship, constitutes a war crime. These heinous acts must stop immediately,” the statement said.
The UN Security Council earlier condemned the attack.
The March 21 bombing that killed 42 people and left more than 80 injured in downtown Damascus was the latest incident in the Syrian conflict’s history.
About 70,000 people have died in Syria since the start of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad in March 2011, according to UN figures.