43 people have been killed and a large number of others wounded today after a car bomb blew up outside of a mosque in the southern town of Yadouda. The belief is that the bombing was carried out by one of the al-Qaeda factions against rival rebels, and at least 10 rebels were reported killed.
Yadouda was one of the first cities in the Daraa Province to see anti-Assad protests at the start of the uprising. The Daraa area, near Jordan, is seen as the last real stronghold of the Western-backed rebels, with many of them getting training and arms from US forces in Jordan.
The car bomb was actually believed to be comparatively small for as much damage as it did. The bomb was detonated as a fuel truck passed by, and that created a fireball that tore through the mosque.
Car bombs have been a favored tactic of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) against other rebels, though they usually don’t confirm their responsibility for days after the incident.