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U.N. marks 10-year anniversary of Baghdad compound bombing

NEW YORK, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The United Nations marked the 10-year anniversary of a deadly attack on its compound in Baghdad with a minute's silence at headquarters in New York.

The attack, which came during some of the most violent parts of the Iraqi insurgency, killed 22 U.N. diplomats and security personnel. The bombing was the impetus for creating World Humanitarian Day each year Aug. 19.

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"We commemorate their sacrifice and reaffirm our commitment to the life-saving work that humanitarians carry out around the world, every day, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances where others cannot or do not want to go," U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at a memorial service in New York.

Ban noted despite the headlines generated by the bombing a decade ago, more U.N. workers have died in the last 10 months -- 30 killed in total -- than perished in the Baghdad bombing. More U.N. workers have been killed so far in 2013 than in all of 2012.

Prior to the memorial service, Ban met with families and colleagues of those killed in the Baghdad attack and participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at U.N. headquarters.

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