KABUL, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Wednesday condemned a deadly attack on a mosque in western Herat province, which killed 31 civilians and injured over 60 others.
"Places of worship and their congregations, as well as religious festivals, require authorities to have appropriate security measures in place, commensurate with the threat level facing communities," the UNAMA said in a statement.
"International humanitarian law prohibits deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian objects, including places of worship," it noted.
On Tuesday night, two terrorists armed with guns and suicide jackets attacked Jawadia Mosque in the central part of Herat city when dozens of Shiite worshippers were gathering to hold a religious ceremony there.
The Islamic State group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, the IS-linked Amaq news agency reported.
The UNAMA also expressed its condolences to the victims' families and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 1,660 civilians were killed and over 3,580 others injured in conflict-related incidents in the first half of the year, according to figures released by the UNAMA recently.
