UNIPATH STAFF
Jordan’s Eastern Command, in conjunction with the Directorate of Military Security and Drug Enforcement Administration, foiled several attempts to breach the Syria-Jordan border in December 2021. Criminals from Syria tried to smuggle large quantities of narcotics and firearms into Jordan.
After exchanging fire with Soldiers from the Eastern Command, several smugglers were injured and the rest fled back to Syria, leaving behind 770,000 Captagon tablets, 969 hashish pouches, four Kalashnikov rifles, and 9 mm pistols and their ammunition, a Jordanian military source noted.
Captagon tablets, which contain amphetamines and caffeine, are used as a stimulant by militant groups in Syria and elsewhere in the region.
Aircraft from the Royal Jordanian Air Force supported the ground forces deployed along the borders, conducting aerial surveillance to detect smuggling and terrorist activities.
Jordan is one of the countries most affected by the armed conflict that erupted in Syria in March 2011. Despite limited resources, Jordan has been trying to alleviate the suffering of Syrian refugees and curb crimes, such as human trafficking, weapons and drugs smuggling, and transborder terrorism.
Furthermore, about 200,000
Iraqis took refuge in Jordan, some fleeing Daesh atrocities in 2014 when the terrorist organization invaded Iraq and Syria.
Jordan shut down the Jaber-Nasib border crossing with Syria after terrorist groups took control of Syrian townships near the border in 2015. The post reopened after the Syrian army regained control of the area in July 2018.
The closure deprived Jordan financially because the crossing had served as a trade conduit for the Arabian Gulf states and Turkey, Lebanon and Syria.
By maintaining balanced relations with the region’s countries and distancing itself from ideological, ethnic and sectarian conflicts, Jordan has succeeded in preserving national security and stability under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein.
Sources: Reuters, arabic.rt.com, almadenahnews.com