国际英语新闻：United Nations condemns suicide bombings in Baghdad

UNITED NATIONS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned the horrific back-to-back bombings that struck Baghdad on Friday and Thursday, reiterating the UN commitment to supporting Iraq in the efforts to achieve lasting peace and national reconciliation.

    A statement, issued here by Ban's spokesperson, said "the secretary-general condemns the appalling suicide bombings since yesterday in Baghdad and Diyala, which reportedly killed at least 140 people including a large number of visiting Iranian pilgrims."

    Ban "expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims," the statement said. "The Secretary-General is particularly dismayed by reports that one of the bombers was a woman accompanied by a five year old child. No cause or grievance can justify such reprehensible acts."

    "The secretary-general joins the people of Iraq in rejecting these attempts to incite further violence in the country," the statement said. "He reiterates the United Nations' commitment to supporting Iraq in the efforts to achieve lasting peace and national reconciliation."

    According to media reports, two suicide bombers detonated their explosive vests near a Shi'a shrine on Friday morning (local time),killing over 60 people, while more than 80 people died in similar attacks on Friday, which has been characterized as Iraq's deadliest day of the year.

    Also on Friday, the secretary-general's special representative for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, described the attacks as "terrible crimes, targeting innocent civilians, mainly pilgrims, and many as they waited for food parcels being handed out by the Iraqi Red Crescent."

    He also voiced concern over the spike in deadly attacks in recent weeks, while expressing confidence in Iraqi people to remain united in their resolve in combating violence.