US condemns 'vicious' Syrian bakery attack

WASHINGTON — The United States accused the Syrian regime Monday of launching a "vicious" attack on civilians at a bakery that proved President Bashar al-Assad's days as leader were numbered.
At least 60 people are reported to have been killed in a regime air strike on a bakery in the town of Halfaya, in the central province of Hama.
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the latest vicious attacks by the Syrian regime against civilians, most notably the attack on people waiting to buy bread at a bakery in the town of Halfaya," acting State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement.
"Brutal attacks such as these show that this regime has no future in Syria. Those that commit atrocities will be held accountable. The United States calls on all parties that continue to assist the regime in executing its war against the Syrian people to end their support."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented 43 names of people killed in Halfaya, 40 men and three women. Activists dubbed the bombing a "massacre" -- an allegation fended off by the Assad regime.
The attack coincided with a visit by international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.
His talks with the Assad regime offer an "opportunity to move a political transition forward and the United States continues to support his efforts," Ventrell said.
"We urge the regime to capitalize on the joint special representative's efforts in order to transition to a new government and end the brutal repression of the Syrian people."
Brahimi, the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, met on Monday with Assad, who described the talks as "friendly and constructive."
Assad said his "government is committed to ensure the success of all efforts aimed at protecting the sovereignty and independence of the country," state television reported.
More than 44,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the eruption in March 2011 of the uprising that morphed into an armed insurgency when the Assad regime unleashed a brutal crackdown on dissent.
On Monday alone, at least 119 people were killed nationwide, including 38 civilians, according to the Observatory.