Wounded Syrians Pour Into Turkey After Bombing

CNN reports that wounded Syrians are streaming across the Turkish border for treatment after a car bombing in the battleground village of Jarablus.

The blast “‘shook windows about a kilometer away’ in the Turkish village of Karkamis, said Selami Yilmaz, a Karkamis resident. ‘We don’t even have enough ambulances to keep up with how many wounded are coming across,’” Yilmaz told CNN. He said he has lent his car to authorities to help get the wounded to hospitals.

“The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the car bomb exploded near a cultural center controlled by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. That al-Qaida-linked force has taken control of much of northern Syria amid that country’s bloody civil war. The Syrian Observatory said heavy clashes were still going on in Jarablus.

“Yilmaz said the Free Syrian Army, the leading Western-backed rebel force, has been losing ground in Jarablus. Dozens of its fighters have fled amid intense fighting, while wounded FSA troops have been pouring across the border into Turkey for treatment.”

Security ‘Slows Transport’ of Syrian Chemical Weapons

The BBC reports that security concerns have slowed the transport of chemical weapons from Damascus to the Syrian coast.

Ahmet Uzumcu, who heads the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, “said the amount of chemicals that had reached the Syrian port of Latakia ready to leave the country was not that high. But he expressed confidence the arms would be destroyed by the end of June. There are plans to speed up the process.

“Removing the most dangerous chemicals is the first step of a U.N.-backed deal to eliminate Syria’s chemical arsenal. Mr. Uzumcu … said the delays were due to technical problems and the obvious difficulties of operating in a war zone. But he said additional measures had been put in place to help smooth the transportation.”

Flow of Westerners to Syria Prompts Security Concerns

Alison Smale of the New York Times reports that “Western leaders and intelligence officials are reacting with alarm to what they say are the rising numbers of young people leaving Europe and the United States to wage jihad against President Bashar al-Assad.”

Western officials have been vocal in recent months over “the continuance of what they call Mr. Assad’s dictatorial rule must be weighed against the threat that the rebellion, which the West supports, is creating a new generation of jihadists.

“Across Europe, intelligence officials, police officers, social workers and teachers have reported an increased push in recent months by Islamist radicals to recruit young Europeans to fight on the Syrian battlefield. Most are men, but some women have also been drawn to Syria with the prospect of helping establish an Islamic state, according to German officials and experts monitoring the trend.

“American and European intelligence officials estimate that 1,200 young people have left to join Syria’s rebel groups, some of which have ties to al-Qaida. On Tuesday, President François Hollande of France, in a news conference, said that French intelligence had counted 700 French citizens and foreigners who had headed to Syria from his country. ‘We must prevent them,’ he said.”

Moscow: Iran is Essential for Syria Peace

The AP reports on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s announcement that fellow Assad ally Iran will “inevitably” be part of the Syrian peace process.

He “said Thursday that Tehran should be part of attempts to end the war that has so far killed over 100,000 people. He spoke after meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif,” the wire says. Showcasing the close ties that remain between Russia and the Syrian government, “Lavrov is scheduled to meet with the Syrian foreign minister in Moscow on Friday.”

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team:

Foreign Policy: Gag Order: Why Is the U.N. Censoring It’s Own Syria News

NY Times: Donors Offer $2.4 Billion to Aid Syrian Civilians, UN Says More is Needed

Bloomberg: Russia Sees Syria Peace Talks Unfold in Several Rounds

Guardian: Car Bomb Blasts Lebanese Town Near Syria Border

Reuters: Final Destruction of Syrian Chemicals Slides to June

AP: Mass Executions in Syria Could Be a War Crime, Says UN

NPR: Battlefield in Northern Syria Evolves as Rebels Fight Rebels