Smuggling networks in southern Syria have developed new tactics for their cross-border operations towards Jordan.
No longer content with attempting to smuggle drugs and weapons alone, these networks have escalated to engaging in fierce clashes with Jordanian border guard forces.
The clashes are seen as an attempt by the networks to forcefully impose trafficking operations.
“The past few days have witnessed an increase in the number of operations, transforming them from mere infiltration and smuggling attempts to armed confrontations,” confirmed a military source from the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF).
According to the source, smugglers are looking to forcefully cross borders by targeting border guard forces.
The onset of winter, coupled with fog, signals the start of a season for smuggling operations, a resident of Syrian towns near the Jordanian border, who requested anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The surge in smuggling operations has led to Syrian-Jordanian border regions experiencing prolonged nighttime clashes, the most intense being between smugglers and the Jordanian border guard forces.
A military commander from reconciliation factions in Daraa, who also requested anonymity, revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the recent lull in smuggling activities during the summer was exploited by traffickers to amass a significant quantity of drugs in the area.
Smugglers have also used the time to recruit and prepare youth operatives for transportation and smuggling operations during the winter, revealed the commander, who recently participated in military operations conducted by the Eighth Brigade against groups engaged in the trade and smuggling of drugs.
The commander emphasized the exploitation of weather conditions in the southern region during this time, marked by extensive fog that hampers clear visibility.
They also shed light on the resurgence of smuggling networks as evidenced by the continued flow of trafficked shipments from the region to Jordan.
This persists despite security operations in some Syrian border villages.
The operations failed to target individuals and key centers supplying Syria’s southern region with drugs.
Instead, they focused on what the commander described as “small-scale dealers” easily replaceable in the midst of security chaos, lack of safety, and deteriorating economic and living conditions in the area.
