Jordan is facing a unique security challenge: it finds
itself embroiled in an open-ended war with a highly sophisticated drug
traffickers’ network on its borders with Syria. The threat is not limited to
Jordan, which has been described as a drug transit country, as most narcotics
finding their way to Gulf countries. This multi-billion-dollar network is now
posing a political and social threat to the Kingdom.
اضافة اعلان
Drug smuggling from Syria is not new. But things began to
get out of control in recent years, especially after the eruption of the Syrian
civil war in 2011. In the beginning, Jordan was apprehensive about the regular
Syrian army’s loss of control of the 260-kilometer border with the kingdom. The
fear, which was realized at some point later, was that terrorist groups would
fill the vacuum left by the Syrian army. Daesh and other radical groups did
indeed move close to the Jordanian border and the armed forces did clash with
armed infiltrators.
When Syrian government forces regained control of Daraa in
2018, Jordan responded by reopening its side of the border with Syria. That
move was followed by a political decision to normalize ties with the Syrian
regime for political and economic reasons. Syrian ministers were received in
Amman and trade delegations visited Damascus in a bid to end the regime’s
isolation. His Majesty King Abdullah received a call from President Bashar
Assad last October and it appeared that the two countries were taking
confidence-building measures to normalize ties. But late last year the
smuggling of drugs from the Syrian side intensified. So much so that the
Jordanian army had to change the rule of engagement at the border: a warning
that a shoot-to-kill order had been issued, to stem the rising tide of
infiltrations that had become an almost daily occurence.
What is worrying, for Jordan, though, is that the
traffickers have become “organized”, as the Jordanian army put it, using drones
and with armed personnel accompanying smugglers. While the identity of the said
armed personnel has not been officially revealed, it is now believed that
members of the Syrian army have been involved; in particular, Syria’s notorious
fourth division under the command of Assad’s brother Maher.
The Jordanian army has hinted that members of the Syrian
army deployed at the border may be involved in facilitating the passage of
smugglers originating from Syria. It talked about tens of drug manufacturing
locations close to the Jordanian border, mainly involved in making narcotic
pills. Hashish, most probably coming from Lebanon, is also being smuggled from
Syria. Since the beginning of the year, the Jordanian army has killed over 30
smugglers and thwarted the smuggling of millions of narcotic pills.
The fact that smugglers are either armed or protected by
armed personnel has put Jordanian border guards in danger. That has prompted
the army to change the rules of engagement. The situation has become so serious
that King Abdullah visited last week the eastern zone to support his troops and
called on them to deal firmly with infiltrations and smuggling attempts.
According to a report by the Center for Operational Analysis
and Research, “Captagon exports from Syria reached a market value of at least
$3.46 billion” in 2020. Moreover, Syria is now among the top drug-producing
countries in the region, along with Lebanon and Turkey. Saudi Arabia had warned
Lebanon about repeated attempts to smuggle narcotics into the kingdom. Jordan
is a major gateway for Syrian and Lebanese smugglers attempting to reach Gulf
countries.
The fact that the Syrian government has not responded to
Jordan’s complaints about the increasing drug-smuggling activities along its
border is puzzling. And the idea that the Syrian government is somehow involved
in this organized network raises many questions.
It is now documented that Hezbollah is involved in hashish
trade to raise money for its operations. It is also documented that the
Lebanese militia is establishing bases in southern Syria, not far from the
Jordanian border. Jordan had asked Moscow for guarantees that Hezbollah would
stay far from the Jordanian borders.
The threat to Jordan’s security is indeed unique. It is now
facing a network that is supported by some elements in the Syrian army using
sophisticated methods to avoid interception. This war on drugs is a costly one
for Jordan and involves the entire region, including the GCC. The task for
Jordan is to locate and dismantle the local network that receives the narcotics
and dispatches them to the Gulf countries. But fending the long border with
Syria means that Jordan needs external help as well. This is a war of attrition
that is both costly and long.
Meanwhile, the Syrian regime has to come forward and explain
why, after having taken control of the border with Jordan, smuggling continues
and at an alarming rate. The issue has become urgent and Jordan is left with
difficult options to protect its security.
The writer is a journalist and political commentator based
in Amman.
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