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An Iraqi insurgent group with ties to Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for Thursday's rocket attack on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, saying Ban was the target. The attack occurred near the site of a press conference that Ban was delivering while on an unannounced visit to Baghdad.
In a statement posted on an insurgent website on Saturday, a group called the Islamic State of Iraq said, "God enabled the men of the Islamic State of Iraq to target the Green Zone with a barrage of mortar rounds as a joint conference was being held by (Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri) al-Maliki and the so-called UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon." The statement said the attack "brought terror into the hearts of infidels and apostates."
According to the Associated Press, the group views the UN as an "infidel" organization that is opposed to Islam and Muslims.
Ban was unhurt and continued on his Middle East tour, which is scheduled to finish April 2. He arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday. Referring to the Israeli-Palestinian standoff, he said, "When Arab states are actively engaging with this, we need to use this momentum to the fullest possible extent and try to encourage this ongoing peace process as much as we can."
While in Cairo on Friday, Ban told journalists he would like to see the UN do more to help with the reconstruction of Iraq and that he would visit the country again as circumstances required.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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