UN chief condemns killings in northern Iraq

United Nations, July 9: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned ''in the strongest terms'' the bomb attack that killed and wounded hundreds of Iraqis in the north, and urged the country's leaders to work for peace.

A spokesperson for Mr Ban issued a statement yesterday saying he was ''appalled''by the bomb attack on a busy marketplace in Amirli, where 150 people were killed and nearly 300 wounded many seriously.

''He condemns in the strongest terms such heinous acts which target innocent civilians,'' the spokesperson said.

The UN chief repeated his call for all Iraqi leaders, ''to work together to bring the violence to a halt and engage in a real political dialogue in the hopes of building a peaceful and stable Iraq.''

UNI