Jordanian Armed Forces announced today they shot down a drone for the third time this month. The drone was coming across the Syrian border, where tensions have been high due to the continual movement of drug smugglers from Syria into Jordan. In images posted online the drone appears to have no cargo, so could possibly have been for surveillance as opposed to smuggling. However, there are examples of drones being used to smuggle drugs across the border in the past.
????? ??????: ????? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ??????
?????? ???????: ????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ??????? ???????? ???????
?????? ???????: ????? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????https://t.co/vvpjJsiCnn#?????? #??????_???????_???????? #?????_?????? pic.twitter.com/IBbM4BVTo4— Jordan Armed Forces (@ArmedForcesJO) August 28, 2023
Despite Syria’s renormalisation in the region and readmission into the Arab League, tension on the Syria-Jordan border remains high. There has been a continual flow of drug smugglers, predominantly smuggling the amphetamine pill captagon and hash, crossing the border. The level of trafficking became so prominent that the Jordanian Border Forces announced a shoot-on-sight policy for smugglers which it has used. One of the most deadly clashes between smugglers and the border force occurred in January last year when 27 drug smugglers were reportedly killed.
