UN chief Antonio Guterres condemns bomb attack on wedding ceremony in Kabul

WASHINGTON DC: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the "horrific" bomb attack that targeted a wedding procession in the Afghan capital on Saturday night (local time) and claimed lives of 63 people.

"The Secretary-General strongly condemns the horrific 17 August terrorist attack on a wedding ceremony in Kabul, claiming the lives of 63 people and injuring over 180," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement cited by Xinhua News agency.

The UN chief expressed "his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and the Government and people of Afghanistan."

He wished "a swift recovery to those injured."

The blast occurred inside Shahr-e-Dubai wedding hall in Police District 6 of Kabul on Saturday when the hall was packed with guests attending the wedding ceremony of an Afghan couple.

The Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

Kabul, with a population of nearly five million, has been hit by a series of terror attacks over the past couple of years.

Around 180 people sustained injuries in what is believed to be the deadliest act of terror this year in the war-torn country.

The incident came a few days after the end of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha and just before the country was to marks it 100th Independence day on Monday.