China, Afghanistan and the United Nations condemned Thursday's terrorist attack in Kunduz province in north Afghanistan, in which 11 Chinese construction workers were killed.

The attack occurred at around 01:00 a.m. local time (2030 GMT Wednesday) on a construction site 36 km south of Kunduz province when some 20 gunmen opened fire at Chinese workers and security guards.

This is the first major casualties China has encountered in Afghanistan in the past two years and also one of the worst terrorist attacks on foreigners since the former Taliban regime was ousted late in 2001.

China vows not to surrender to terrorism

At a regular press conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Chinese leaders strongly condemned the terrorist activities.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is in Krakow for a state visit, on Thursday strongly condemned a terrorist attack that killed 11 Chinese construction workers in northern Afghanistan.

Hu also instructed the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan to try their utmost to ensure best treatment for the wounded and to properly handled the aftermath of the incident.

In addition, Hu urged the Afghan government and the UN mission in the country to investigate the incident and bring the terrorists to justice, and to ensure safety and security of other Chinese citizens in Afghanistan.

The Chinese president also conveyed through the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan his comfort to the injured and condolences to families of the killed.

Wu, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, called the Foreign Ministry in person and asked the ministry to extend his condolences for the victims.

Wu instructed the foreign ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan to put all their strength into rescuing the injured workers, and to work closely with the Afghan government and the UN agencies in Afghanistan to take proper measures to ensure the safety of other Chinese people in Afghanistan.

The premier sent his condolences for the victims and sympathy to the injured. Wen, on behalf of the Chinese government, strongly condemned the terrorist attack against Chinese citizens and required the Afghan side to severely punish the criminals.

Wen also urged the Afghan side to take practical measures to safeguard the safety of Chinese citizens and their property. He instructed the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Commerce and the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan to get in touch with the UN assistance team in a bid to cope with the rescue as well as remaining problems.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry's Asian Department has also held an emergency meeting with the Afghan ambassador to China, demanding the Afghan government to take all measures possible to rescue the injured workers, ensure the safety of other Chinese citizens in the country, and meanwhile launch an investigation into the incident and bring the murderers to justice.

Liu said at the press conference that China would not surrender to terrorism in any form and the country would continue to participate in the reconstruction process of Afghanistan.

He said China and Afghanistan have a tradition of friendship and have forged good cooperation so far, vowing that China would not withdraw from the country's reconstruction project.

China considers the incident as a terror attack, to which should be attached great importance by various parties, especially by the Afghanistan side, Liu said, calling on the Afghanistan side to learn lessons from the incident and take more effective measures to ensure the safety of nationals of various countries in Afghanistan's territory.

China has been a target, as well as a victim, of terrorism for a long time, and that's why China supports the campaigns against terrorism in all forms, Liu noted, expressing the hope that the international community should continue effective strikes on terrorism.

Afghanistan calls for more security aid

The Afghan government condemned the brutal killing, describing it as a cowardly act of terrorism, a statement issued by the office of presidential spokesman said.

Acting Afghan President Mohammed Qasim Fahim, who assumed the top role while President Hamid Karzai was visiting the United States, said Thursday he was "deeply distressed" by the killing of Chinese workers and strongly condemned "this cruel act of terror."

Blaming al-Qaeda for the attack, Fahim said that terror network of the group and its supporters were behind the incident to disrupt the ongoing rebuilding process in the country.

However, al-Qaeda denied the accusation. The group's spokesman Hamid Agha told Associated Press in a satellite call from an undisclosed location:"It doesn't have any link with the Taliban."

The acting president in the statement assured that the government would spare no efforts to identify the culprits and bring them to justice. The government has tasked a high ranking delegation to visit the site of the event and initiate a thorough investigation on the incident.

"The Acting President is also extending his condolences to Excellencies Chinese President, Chinese Premier and the families of the victims," the statement added.

Security is a serious concern in Afghanistan as the war-torn country is preparing for the presidential election in September. "We need more international security forces," Karzai told the Cable News Network (CNN).

Karzai, who is visiting the United States, said that the presidential election, which had been scheduled in June and now will take place in September, will not be postponed again. The election had been postponed not for security reasons, but for the registration problems.

Following the bloody attacks on Chinese workers in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province early Thursday morning, the ongoing voters' registration process halted in Kabul.

"As a result of sad incident in Kunduz last night, registration sites is currently closed in Kunduz," Manoel de Almeida e Silva of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told journalists at a news briefing in Kabul.

"We suspend it temporarily until we can have a better of understanding of what really happened and what the possible complications are," he added.

More than 3 million people have registered for the first-ever Afghan landmark elections.

UN condemns attack

The UN Security Council on Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Chinese construction workers in Afghanistan.

Lauro Baja, ambassador of the Philippines and president of the council, said in a press statement that the council urged all states to cooperate actively in an effort to find and bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of this attack.

"Members of the council reaffirms that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, whenever and by whomsoever committed," the statement said.

It expressed the determination of the 15-member council to combat all forms of terrorism in accordance with the responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations.

UN Special Representative to Afghanistan Jean Arnault was appalled by the killing of 11 Chinese construction workers condemned it in the strongest possible terms, Manoel de Almeida e Silva, spokesman of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told reporters in Kabul.

The special representative noted with great sadness that this tragedy follows other serious incidents against electoral and humanitarian aid workers on May 5 in Nuristan and on June 2 and 6 in Badghis and Paktya in which eight Afghans and expatriates were killed, the spokesman added.

Arnault also conveyed his condolences and expressed his sympathy to the Chinese Government and to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the latest bloody incident in Kunduz but the fugitive leaders of Taliban and their allies have vowed to disrupt any rebuilding activities run under US influence in post-Taliban Afghanistan.