Jordanian soldiers clash with smugglers from Syria: Army

AMMAN, Jordan

The Jordanian army on Saturday announced armed clashes with smugglers from Syria, injuring a number of them and leaving some others arrested.

In a statement, the Jordanian army said that “since two o’clock in the morning, Saturday (Friday 2300GMT), armed clashes have been taking place between border guard forces and large armed groups of smugglers on the northern border within the jurisdictional area of the Eastern Military District.”

“These clashes have so far resulted in the injury and arrest of a number of smugglers, and the thwarting of the smuggling of large quantities of drugs and weapons," the statement added without giving further details.

“Armed groups are being expelled back into Syria,” the army added.

An unnamed Jordanian source announced on Friday that its military had carried out two airstrikes on sites inside Syrian territory, saying this came “in the framework of pursuing drug smugglers who export drugs into the kingdom,” according to Al-Mamlaka TV.

On Dec. 31, the Jordanian army said in a statement that the kingdom was facing a “frenzied campaign” from drug traffickers and weapons smugglers.

In recent days, Jordanian security have carried out a series of raids in the east of the country, after clashes between the army and armed groups on the border with Syria, which resulted in the killing and wounding of a number of them, the arrest of others, the seizure of narcotic materials and missiles, and the destruction of a car loaded with explosive materials.

For years, Jordan has witnessed hundreds of attempts to infiltrate and smuggle into the kingdom's territory, especially from Syria in the north and Iraq in the east, due to deteriorating security conditions in the two neighboring countries.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi