United Nations, March 22 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday condemned “in the strongest terms” the deadly attacks that left over 50 civilians killed in Afghanistan this week.

A bout of violence has rocked Afghanistan recently as a presidential election is two weeks away, including a suicide attack on a market in Faryab province, an attack on a police station in the eastern city of Jalalabad, and Thursday night’s attack on a hotel in Kabul, Xinhua reported.

“These attacks took place as Afghans prepare to celebrate Nowruz, the start of the new year, and a time when Afghans celebrate the values of peace and solidarity among communities,” said a statement issued here by Ban’s spokesman.

“The deliberate targeting of civilians is a flagrant breach of these values as well as of international humanitarian law.”

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council (UNSC) Friday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a hotel in Kabul which left at least 20 people dead.

“The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack on 20 March 2014 at a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, which caused a number of deaths and injuries to Afghan civilians, including children, and international personnel, responsibility for which has been claimed by the Taliban,” an official UNSC statement said.