UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday strongly condemned the car bombing at Turkish-Syrian border, stressing that violence against civilians is unacceptable.
"The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack at the Cilvegozu border crossing between Turkey and Syria which has led to the death of both Turkish and Syrian nationals," said a statement issued by Ban's spokesman.
The UN chief also sent his condolences to the families of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured, according to the statement.
Ban reiterated his deep concern over "the spillover of the Syrian crisis into neighboring countries" as the bloodshed in Syria continued unabated, posing threats to peace and security in the region, the statement said.
Reminding all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law, the Secretary-General renewed his call for them to "refrain from using violence, exercise restraint and move toward a political solution," said the statement.
A total of 14 people, including three Turkish citizens, were killed and at least 28 others were injured in the car bombing Monday afternoon in the southern province of Hatay, which is close to the Turkish border gate of Cilvegozu.
The Cilvegozu border gate is on the opposite side of Syrian gate of Bab al-Hawa, which was captured by Syrian rebels in July 2012.
More than 170,000 Syrian refugees, including army defectors, are taking shelter in Turkey, and Monday's car bombing heightened fears that the violence from Syria's 22-month-old conflict may spill over to the Turkish side.
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