Opposition claim it was a government plane; Damascus say the attack is the work of terrorists. Halfaya was a zone "liberated" by the rebels. Brahimi is in Damascus for new peace talks. His task seems impossible.

Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Several dozen people were killed and many more injured in an air strike that hit a long line of people waiting to buy bread from a bakery. Opponents of the regime have accused the Syrian government of the carnage; the State TV is accusing "armed terrorist groups."

The attack, that took place yesterday in Halfaya, near Hama, is one of the most cruel and deadly of all the civil war that has inflamed Syria for 21 months. So far there has been no independent confirmation, since the Damascus government restricts the presence of reporters and correspondents. The rebels had declared Halfaya a "liberated zone " only five days ago.

Videos posted online by activists showed dozens of bloody bodies lying inert under the rubble. The inhabitants of Halfaya say that the dead number at least 90 people, but the toll is likely to grow because many of the wounded are in critical condition.

According to the rebels the regime is desperate and resorting to mass destruction.

As the violence continues, UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has arrived in Damascus by land - for the continued fighting around the international airport in the capital - to continue dialogue for peace and a cease-fire. But his work now seems impossible, rejected by the rebels, who claim to be close to victory, and the Syrian government which contemptuously continues its offensive.

According to opposition activists, the Syrian war has already caused at least 44 thousand deaths, at a rate of 100 deaths per day.

 

• syria
• air
• raid
• civil
• war
• rebeles
• assad
• un
• brahimi