Jordanian army thwarts infiltration and drug smuggling attempt from Syria

The Jordanian army announced in a statement on its website, today, Thursday, the thwarting of an infiltration and drug smuggling operation across the border with Syria. The statement read that "the Eastern Military Region, in coordination with the military security services and the Anti-Narcotics Department, thwarted on Wednesday evening, and within its area of responsibility, an attempt to infiltrate and smuggle quantities of narcotics coming from Syrian territory." The army added, "After intensifying search and inspection operations in the area, quantities of narcotics were found, and the seized items were transferred to the competent authorities," without further details. It stressed that "the Jordanian Armed Forces are continuing to harness their various capabilities and potentials to prevent all forms of infiltration and smuggling operations by force, to maintain the security and stability of the Kingdom." Over the past few years, Jordan has witnessed a sharp increase in attempts to infiltrate and sm uggle drugs from Syria in the north, due to the deteriorating security situation in the northern neighbor. These operations have increased significantly in the past few years, leading to armed confrontations between smugglers and the Jordanian army. Jordan says that these smuggling operations have become "organized", and sometimes use drones and are protected by armed groups, which has prompted Jordan to repeatedly use its air force to strike these groups and shoot down their drones. Source: National Iraqi News Agency