JAF’s new rules of engagement result in killing of 30 smugglers, seizure of 16m drug pills

AMMAN — Proceeding with the new rules of engagement at the Kingdom’s borders has resulted in the killing of 30 smugglers and the seizure of 17,348 palm-sized sheets of hashish and more than 16 million drug pills, Director of Military Media Department Col. Mustafa Hyari said on Thursday.

During a media tour organised by the Military Media Department, Hyari stressed the Border Guards’ ongoing efforts to protect the Kingdom.  

The media tour follows His Majesty King Abdullah’s, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), recent visit to the Eastern Military Zone during which the King stressed the need to deal firmly with all attempts to destabilise the country. 

“Anything entering the no-man-land is at risk to be targeted by the armed forces,” the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Hyari as saying. 

Colonel of the General Command of the JAF Zeid Al Dabas said that several groups have been identified, which have established drug trafficking networks, noting the identification of 160 networks operating in Syria. 

The JAF has managed to monitor the activities of these groups and has collected sufficient information about them, including manufacturing mechanisms, locations and storage sites, he said, noting that these groups adopt new tactics similar to organised crime networks.

The groups also use vehicles with high-risk equipment and drones, he said.

Dabas noted that these smuggling groups conducted mock infiltration attempts as camouflage to carry out real operations simultaneously at different locations.

He stressed the Border Guards’ readiness to tackle any infiltration and smuggling attempts. 

The past years have witnessed “chaos” on the Syrian side of the border, but since one year, the border has witnessed relative calm, and Jordan was one of the reasons for maintaining the calm, he said, highlighting that "the greatest burden is shouldered by the Jordanian Border Guards.

Col. Yusuf Al Dahham from the Eastern Military Region Zone said drones used by the smugglers can only carry a weight of less than 1kg, highlighting that the armed forces have developed a drone system that can achieve the desired goal.