"Condemning the terrorist attack, Guterres expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery," Stephane Dujarric said.
The UN chief condemned the “horrific” attack “in the strongest terms”, noting that it represents the third assault on a religious institution, in less than a week.
“Attacks that deliberately target civilians exercising the right to freely practice their religion are violations of fundamental human rights and international humanitarian law”, said Secretary-General António Guterres, in a statement released by his Spokesperson. “The perpetrators must be brought to justice.”
According to news reports, the attack was claimed by the local Islamic State terrorist group affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province (IKSP).
IKSP has previously targeted the Shia Muslim community in Sunni-majority Afghanistan and is an extremist Islamist faction opposed to the de facto rulers of the country, the Taliban, who seized power in mid-August.
