Iran Concerned about US Acts of Terror

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran warned against the grave peril of growing terrorism in its neighboring countries, urging global efforts to counter violence.

Iran’s representative to the UN Sixth Committee session criticized counter-terrorism actions by big powers and called for appropriate measures to be taken to root out the problem.

“It is of great concern that many civilians are slain and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries are violated under the pretext of tracking down terrorists,” Ishaq al-e Habib told the UN session.

His remarks came after the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, warned Washington against pursuing a hidden agenda in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Washington has recently launched numerous missile strikes in volatile regions in northern Pakistan, leaving many civilians dead in tribal areas, press tv reported.

The US, already engaged in two deadly and costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has long claimed to be seeking out terrorists in the oil-rich Middle East.

According to recent reports, however, US-led coalition forces began secret talks with the Taliban after the allies in the so-called war on terror came to an impasse in their efforts to tackle the insurgency in the violence-wracked Central Asian country.

US-led coalition forces have hinted that they are far from victory in Afghanistan. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that it is necessary to bring the Taliban into a process of reconciliation.

British Brig. Richard Blanchette, the spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), has also said there can be no military solution.

Since the invasion of Afghanistan by US-led forces in 2001, many Afghan civilians have been killed in various acts of terror, and many others have been displaced. The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan has worried the international community.

Afghan and UN reports indicate that at least 99 civilians, including a dozen children, were killed in an air raid on August 22 in the village of Azizabad.