UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the suicide bombings on mosques in the Afghan capital of Kabul and in central Ghor province during Friday prayers.
The secretary-general expressed his solidarity with the people and government of Afghanistan and extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Friday.
"This week alone, hundreds of Afghan civilians going about their daily lives, including practising their religious faith, have fallen victims to brutal acts of violence," said the statement. "The secretary-general emphasizes that those responsible must be swiftly brought to justice. The cycle of violence must end and dialogue commence."
More than 70 people were killed in Friday's suicide bomb attacks. A gunman blew himself up in a Shiite Muslim mosque in Kabul, killing at least 40 people. An earlier attack on a Sunni Muslim mosque in Ghor province killed 33 people.
