Beirut: A car bomb explosion killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more near a mosque in the Damascus province town of Suq Wadi Barada on Friday, a monitoring group said.
The town is under rebel control, but troops loyal to the regime of President Bashar Al Assad were positioned right outside it, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“A powerful blast shook the town of Suq Wadi Barada. It was caused by a car bomb near the town mosque. We have confirmed reports that several were killed and wounded,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Some of the injured were children, said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
State television also reported the attack, blaming it on Al Qaida-linked “terrorists.”
“Al Nusra Front terrorists detonated a car bomb near the Osama Bin Zaid mosque in Suq Wadi Barada in Damascus province. There are initial reports of people killed and wounded,” the broadcaster said ealier.
Car bombings have plagued several areas of Syria in recent months, killing scores of people.
Syria’s 31-month conflict has killed more than 115,000 people, according to the Observatory.
