Jordanian army says killed two suspected drug-traffickers from Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Jordanian army on Monday announced that its forces had killed at least two suspected drug-traffickers who were attempting to smuggle in a large amount of narcotics from Syria.

Jordan has increased its pursuit of drug-traffickers in Syria and has tightened its own border with the country in an attempt to prevent the smuggling of narcotics from its war-torn neighbor.

“The Eastern military zone, in coordination with the military security services and the narcotics control administration, thwarted at dawn on Monday, within its area of responsibility, an attempt to infiltrate and smuggle large quantities of narcotic substances coming from Syrian territories,” said the Jordanian army in a statement.

At least two were killed and several other suspects were wounded, and the confiscated narcotics has been handed over to relevant authorities, the army added.

Jordan has become a transit point of drugs, particularly captagon, being smuggled out of Syria which has turned into a Middle Eastern hub for narcotics. The Jordanian military has previously downed drones carrying narcotics, as well as weapons.

The interior ministers of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon held a quadrilateral meeting in Amman in mid-February, and agreed to establish a joint communications cell to keep up cooperation on addressing the alarming rise of narcotics in their countries.

The Jordanian army in February announced killing five drug-traffickers on the border with Syria. Amman is also suspected to have launched several airstrikes targeting the residences of suspected drug dealers since December.