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Ban Condemns 'Terrorist Attack' in Lebanon Against UN Troops


U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the "terrorist attack" that killed six U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon Sunday.

In a statement, the United Nations says Mr. Ban has called for a full investigation and hopes the Lebanese government will succeed in bringing those responsible to justice.

The statement said Mr. Ban also reiterated his support to the U.N. troops in southern Lebanon.

Six members of a Spanish U.N. contigent were killed Sunday in a car bomb attack during a patrol.

The head of the U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon says his force remains committed to patrolling the Lebanese-Israeli border area. Three of them were from Colombia.

U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon commander, General Claudio Graziano, says the attack was not just against UNIFIL and Lebanon, but against the stability of the entire region.

Spanish Defense Minister Jose Antonio Alonso arrived in Lebanon Monday to collect the bodies.

The bombing Sunday was the first fatal attack on UNIFIL since it was reinforced last year after the war between Israel and the Lebanese-based Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud denounced the attack as an attempt to destabilize the country. Hezbollah also condemned the attack.

In Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also denounced the blast.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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