In a statement released earlier on Monday, Ban said he “utterly deplores” the targeting of people on the basis of their religious affiliation and expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives as a result of the attack.

The Secretary-General reaffirmed that the UN-backed political talks remained “the best chance” for Libyans to overcome their country’s crisis and encourage the parties to make all the necessary compromises to reach an agreement.

“Only by working together will Libyans be able to start building a state and institutions that can confront terrorism,” concluded the statement from Ban’s spokesperson.

ISIL, which is also known by its Arabic designation, Da’esh, has been operative in Libya over the past few months amid intensifying UN-backed efforts to facilitate a political resolution to the country’s ongoing crisis.