U.N. Chief Ban Ki-Moon on Friday said that he is appalled by the recent bombing in Baghdad. Moon said that following the bombings, which reportedly killed over 70 people and injured many, he stands in solidarity with the Iraqi people. “These attacks, the deadliest in the city in many months, were particularly callous in targeting innocent civilians gathered at two popular pet markets,” Ban's spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. “He [Moon] hopes that Iraqi leaders will work together in a spirit of national reconciliation to prevent further violence and sustain the recent improvements that have been made on the security front,” the spokesman added. Staffan de Mistura, who is Moon's Special Representative for Iraq, characterized the bombings on Friday as “a heinous crime that targeted innocent civilians, and deserves universal condemnation.” Mistura added, that “systematic or widespread attacks against a civilian population are tantamount to crimes against humanity.” The suicide bombers were allegedly women who were mentally disabled, according to General Qasim Atta, the spokesman for Baghdad's security plan. Though the bombings are widely attributed to the women, the Pentagon is holding Al Qaeda responsible for the bombings.
