Uzbekistan: Annan denounces series of bombings and other violent attacks

Saying crimes against civilians can never be justified, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today expressed his dismay at the series of terrorist bombings and other violent attacks in Uzbekistan in the past two days.

A statement released by his spokesperson at UN Headquarters in New York said Mr. Annan "condemns those criminal acts in the strongest terms.

"Targeting of civilians is a crime which cannot be justified by any cause," the statement said.

More than 20 people are reported to have been killed and another 50 people injured, mainly civilians, following bombings and gun battles in the Uzbek capital Tashkent and the provincial city of Bukhara.