ISIS attack on Afghan rally a war crime, UN says

The United Nations described a joint suicide bombing that killed 80 people in Afghanistan as a "war crime," saying those responsible for the attack on a peaceful demonstration will be held accountable.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing in the capital Saturday.

More than 260 people were wounded, according to Ismail Kawoosi, a spokesman for the Afghan Health Ministry.

United Nations Special Representative to Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto held little back following the attack.

Video shows moment of suicide bombing 

"An attack deliberately targeting a large, concentrated group of civilians amounts to a war crime ... It is an attempt to spread terror amongst civilians and stifle the freedoms that Afghans have sacrificed so much to obtain," Yamamoto said in a statement.

The U.S. and UK also condemned the attack, with the White House saying it was made "all the more despicable by the fact that it targeted a peaceful demonstration."

'Hundreds' fled scene

"I saw tens of people laying down in blood around me and hundreds of people running away from the scene," said Fatima Faizi, an Afghan freelance journalist.

Sayed Hamed, 30, attended the protest but left before the explosions. He was about about two kilometers (1.2 miles) away.

"As I was watching (from his hotel) and some (people) were running toward the scene and some were crying coming from the scene," he told CNN. "It was a very sad situation, and everyone was trying to find their relatives or friends."

The attack, the worst in months in terms of casualties, drew attention to ISIS instead of the Taliban, which had been blamed for recent bombings.

Two ISIS fighters detonated their suicide belts among the protesters, according to ISIS' media wing, Amaq. A third attacker was killed by security forces before detonating his bomb, according to an Afghan security official speaking on condition of anonymity.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com