New Delhi: India on August 20 condemned the "outrageous" bomb attack on the United Nations office in Baghdad and said, as a matter of principle, UN and its personnel involved in the pursuit of peace should not be a target of violent action.

Seventeen people, including UN special envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello, were killed in the August 19 suicide attack at UN headquarters in Baghdad.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said, "No words can be strong enough in condemning the reprehensible act of terrorism that took away the lives of several dedicated UN personnel.

"We are shocked by the news of the attack in Baghdad on Tuesday," External Affairs Ministry spokesman said, noting that Sergio de Mello and the UN team were in Iraq to assist the people of that country and to carry out the role of the UN in this regard.

"This outrageous act resulting in the loss of their lives is reprehensible. We believe, as a matter of principle, that the UN and its personnel involved in the pursuit of peace should not be a target of violent act, which is why this particular incident is all the more tragic," he said.

India conveys its condolences to the UN Secretary General and to the bereaved families.

PTI