New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Thursday condemned the "senseless" suicide attack on the Indian embassy that killed 17 people earlier in the day.

Later Thursday, the Security Council was expected to discuss the escalating situation in Afghanistan in a hastily-arranged meeting.

The attack, which also injured 76 people, came as the US-led military operations in Afghanistan entered their ninth year. US President Barack Obama is in the midst of re-evaluating current military strategy there. dpa