UN special envoy to Iraq "strongly" condemns Baghdad church attack

The UN special envoy to Iraq, Ad Melkert, has "strongly condemned" Sunday's church attack in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, which killed at least 37 people and wounded 56 others, said a UN spokesperson Monday.

"Every effort should be exerted by all Iraqi leaders to agree on pending questions in particular forming a government and this would help ensure Iraq's ability to protect its citizens,"UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters here in a daily press conference.

Expressing condolences to the families of the victims, Melkert also cited concerns "over that acts of violence targeting the Iraqi people of all different backgrounds," which continue to claim lives, Nesirky said.

"The secretary-general's special representative for Iraq has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Catholic church that took place last night in Baghdad," Nesirky said.

The attack took place at sunset on Sunday when gunmen tried to storm the Baghdad stock market in Karrada district and traded fire with the guards, killing two of them. They then blew up a booby- trapped car and detonated a hand grenade outside the market while trying to flee the scene which was surrounded by Iraqi security force who fired at the attackers, reports said.

Violence and sporadic high-profile attacks are still common in Iraqi cities as part of recent deterioration in security which shaped a setback to the efforts of the Iraqi government to restore normalcy in the country after violence-torn Iraq held parliamentary elections about eight months ago.

Source: Xinhua