AFP, New York, United Nations, 11 Feb 2012 – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that he ‘irmly condemns’ car bombings that targeted security forces in the northern Syria city of Aleppo.
Two suicide car bombs targeting security posts killed at least 28 people and injured 235 Friday in Aleppo.
Ban ‘extends his sympathy and condolences to the bereaved families of the victims as well as to the government and people of Syria,’ a statement from his spokesman read.
‘The secretary-general reiterates that all violence is unacceptable and must cease immediately from all sides.’
Until the bombings, the city had been relatively unscathed by protests and repression that killed more than 6,000 Syrians in the past 11 months.
Ban ‘reiterates his strong conviction that the crisis in Syria can only be solved through a comprehensive peaceful political solution that addresses the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people and ensures the full respect of their human rights and fundamental freedoms,’ the statement said.
Syria blamed the blasts on ‘terrorists’ backed by Arab and Western nations, in a letter sent to the UN secretary general, the UN Security Council, the Arab League and other organizations.