UN Security Council slams deadly attack in Afghanistan

The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned "in the strongest terms" a suicide attack in Afghanistan's southwestern province of Farah, leaving more than 40 civilians killed and more than 100 others injured.

The strong condemnation came as Eugene-Richard Gasana, the Rwandan UN ambassador who holds the rotating council presidency for April, was speaking to the press here.

The 15-nation council also called for efforts to bring those who were responsible for the attack to justice, he said.

Earlier on Thursday, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA) strongly condemned the Wednesday attack against a government compound in Farah province, whose capital Farah is some 695 kilometers west of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

"The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they intended to target civilian government employees, in particular workers in the courts and prosecutors'offices," said deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey here Thursday.

The suicide bombing took place in Farah province while the judges were investigating a group of detainees including several Taliban militants, reports said.