Army successfully expels armed groups into Syrian territories following border clashes

AMMAN — The Jordan Armed Forces — Arab Army (JAF), in collaboration with military security agencies and the Anti-Narcotics Department, successfully expelled on Saturday armed groups into Syrian territories after clashes that persisted since the early hours of the day, according to a military source.

The confrontations resulted in five casualties, the arrest of 15 smugglers and the injury of a smuggler, in addition to the seizure of 627,000 Captagon pills, 3,439 kilogrammes of hashish and a Kalashnikov rifle.

The clashes, which occurred between the Jordanian Border Guards and the armed groups on the northern borders within the Eastern Military Region, did not result with injuries among the ranks of JAF, according to the source.

The source indicated that the rise in the occurrence of confrontations and smuggling operations is attributed to the armed groups’ exploitation of weather conditions and fog formation over rugged terrains. 

The northern borders of the Kingdom saw armed clashes between the Jordanian Border Guards and large armed groups of smugglers since 2:00am on Saturday, according to a military source.

The source highlighted that the frequency of smuggling operations has increased in recent days, evolving from infiltration and smuggling attempts to armed clashes aimed at forcibly crossing the borders by directly targeting border guards.

The JAF is closely monitoring the movements of smugglers and the armed groups and their attempts to destabilise the Kingdom's security, the source added, stressing that the JAF is committed to taking all necessary measures to deter these elements, regardless of their location.

Also on Friday, Jordan carried out two airstrikes on locations in side the Syrian territory as part of efforts to track down drug traffickers exporting narcotics to Jordan, a military source was quoted by Al Mamlaka TV on Friday.

The source told Al Mamlakah TV that the airstrikes targeted indivi duals associated with drug traffickers. 

The border region between Jordan and Syria has recently witnessed an increase in smuggling activities by drug traffickers.

The source reiterated that Jordan will not hesitate to take any necessary measures to protect its interests and the lives of its citizens.

Smugglers aim to use Jordan as a transit point for illicit drugs to the Gulf countries, according to the source.