United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned a series of bombings in Iraq ahead of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) holiday.The UN chief expressed condolences to the families of the people killed in the bombings over the past days in the Arab country.
These attacks, the latest in an upsurge of bombings, are particularly despicable as they hit Iraqis at a time when they extend their hands to the needy and the suffering on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha. On this holiday, the Secretary-General reiterates his call on Iraqi leaders to work for political unity and bring the country back from the brink of sectarian violence, Bans spokesman said in a statement issued on Monday.
Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, is celebrated by Muslims around the world and marks the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage, during which pilgrims sacrifice sheep and cattle.
The United Nations, including the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), will continue to support the Government and people of Iraq in building a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous country, the statement added.
On Sunday, a police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that eight people were killed and 22 others wounded when coordinated car bombings struck an outdoor market in the southern city of Hillah, situated 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Five people also lost their lives and 14 others sustained injuries when two cars loaded with explosives went off in a commercial area in the city of Suwayrah, located 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Baghdad.
Two other car bombs exploded simultaneously in the city of Kut, situated 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad, killing four people and wounding 16 others.
Also on Sunday, five people were killed and 34 were wounded in separate attacks in the southern city of Basra, located about 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, and the central towns of Mahmoudiyah and al-Madain.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, but such bombings bear the hallmarks of al-Qaeda-linked militants in Iraq, which seek to destabilize the central government.
According to the United Nations, almost 1,000 people were killed and more than 2,000 wounded in violence in Iraq in September, making it one of the deadliest months in recent years.
Iraqs Interior Ministry has said that militants have launched an open war in Iraq and they want to push the Arab country into chaos.
By Press TV
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