BEIRUT: The Syrian army shelled a border town overnight and early Thursday, sparking gun battles that killed at least eight people, and the government condemned US sanctions targeting President Bashar Al-Assad for the brutal crackdown that has killed more than 850 people. The violence came hours after the US slapped new sanctions on Assad that for the first time hold the Syrian leader personally accountable for attacks by his security forces. The European Union, meanwhile, is pushing for a second round of European sanctions that would target Assad. The Syrian government denounced the US measure, calling it “one in a series of sanctions imposed by the US administration against the Syrian people as part of US regional policies serving Israel”. The move “did not and will not affect Syria's independent choices and steadfastness,” Syria's state-run news agency said. The statement accused the US of double standard, saying the US has no respect for human rights in its killing of civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. The US has troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and is part of the NATO coalition maintaining a no-fly zone over Libya and trying to protect Libyan citizens from government attacks. The overnight attack on the border town of Talkalakh killed at least eight people, bringing the death toll to 34 since the military sealed off the border town Saturday and moved in tanks and troops, two human rights activists told The Associated Press. Syrians fleeing to Lebanon in recent days have described horrific scenes of execution-style slayings and bodies in the streets in Talkalakh. The US action marks the first time that sanctions would hold Assad personally accountable for actions of his security forces. “The recent events in Syria, we believe, prove that the country cannot go back to the status quo ante,” said White House press secretary Jay Carney. “Syria's future will only be secured by a government that reflects the popular will of its people.”
