Military official says armed border clashes with smugglers over

Amman: A military official Saturday said the army, military security and the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) engaged with groups of cross-border smugglers at the Syrian border and made them withdraw into Syria after armed clashes that started at dawn Saturday. Five of the smugglers were killed during their attempt to sneak into the country, and 15 others were arrested. One was injured. The army seized weapons and narcotics, according to the military official. He stated that the clashes that the army had reported no casualties among the border guards following the clashes with the armed groups and smugglers. He said armed organisations carry out "systematic" infiltration operations, adding that cross-border smugglers have been exploiting the winter weather and the nature of the rugged terrain to increase their operations across the borders. He added, "The Jordanian Armed Forces will continue to deal forcefully and decisively with any threat on the borders and any efforts intended to undermine and destabili se the security of the homeland and intimidate its citizens." Source: Jordan News Agency