US vows support for Turkey after Syria mortar strike

The White House on Wednesday strongly condemned Syria's deadly shelling across its border with Turkey, saying "we stand with our Turkish ally."

"All responsible nations must make clear that it is long past time for Assad to step aside, declare a ceasefire and begin the long-overdue political transition process," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said, referring to President Bashar al-Assad's bloody crackdown on an uprising against his rule.(Reuters)