Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq    

    UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday condemned the bombing of two holy shrines in Samarra, Iraq, calling for ending the "vicious cycle of revenge."

    "The secretary-general was deeply shocked to learn of today's destructive attack on the holy Shrines of Imam Ali Al-Hadi and Imam Hassan Al-Askary in Samarra, which follows a similar attack in 2006," Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas said in a statement.

    "The secretary-general strongly condemns this act, which was clearly aimed at provoking sectarian strife and undermining the peace and stability of Iraq," she said.

    The UN chief called on all Iraqis to "avoid succumbing to the vicious cycle of revenge and to exercise maximum restraint while demonstrating unity and resolve in the face of this terrible attack."

    "The secretary-general welcomes the efforts by political and religious leaders of Iraq to calm the situation and to promote respect for human rights and the protection of religious sites," she added.

    Insurgents blew up two minarets of the Shiite shrine in Samarra, some 120 kilometers north of Baghdad, on Wednesday morning, raising fears of an escalation of the sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis in the war-torn country.