Jordanian border guards clashed with armed smugglers attempting to cross the northern border with Syria into Jordan on Thursday, Reuters reported, citing a Jordanian military statement.
The clashes left four smugglers dead and the rest retreating into Syrian territory. According to the statement, the smugglers were trying to take advantage of poor weather conditions and thick fog to cross the border, but Jordanian forces “applied the rules of engagement to prevent their infiltration.”
A large amount of drugs and weapons were seized, according to a Jordanian military statement.
In January, Jordan and Syria agreed to set up a joint security committee to secure their borders, combat arms and drug smuggling, and prevent the resurgence of ISIS militants.
Western counternarcotics officials say the addictive amphetamine-type stimulant known as Captagon has been mass-produced in Syria for years and that Jordan is a transit point to the Gulf states.
Since 2023, Jordan’s military has carried out several preemptive airstrikes in Syria that Jordanian officials say have targeted militias accused of drug ties and militia targets.