Drug smuggling at the border with Syria is becoming one of the most
concerning issues for Jordan, and one of the most challenging threats to
Jordan’s internal security.
اضافة اعلان
There is no
doubt that Jordan is now in an open confrontation with crime groups and their
armed backers.
In a very recent
statement, the Jordanian army said it had killed 27 drug smugglers who
attempted to cross into Jordan from Syria making use of the snowstorm and the
bad weather conditions. This came just after the death of a Jordanian officer
in similar clashes, during which the Jordanian army applied new rules of
engagement.
The war against
drugs and is not easy. The drug trade, mainly of captagon, has its own regional
protagonists, dealers, consumers and, above all, large market. This war comes
at a time when Jordan and Syria are trying to pave the way for a solid
rapprochement. So, instead of having the border between two countries stable,
favoring trade and exchange, it is becoming a source of threat and instability.
There is no doubt that the southern area of Syria
represents a serious challenge to Jordan, but as the politics are changing, it
is not just Jordan’s responsibility to control, prevent and act against such
threats; the Syrian authorities should also play a role.
In this phase of
rebuilding trust between Jordan and Syria, it is important for Syria to take
action that reassure Jordan and prove that Damascus is really willing to put
the basis for good relations with Jordan.
Some reports,
including from officials, blame Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militias that
operate under the umbrella of the Syrian government in the state-controlled
parts of the south where these waves of smugglers come from.
While Jordan is a potential target for Iran’s proxy
confrontation with Israel, the issue may also be seen from the wider
perspective of US military presence.
Challenges in
this phase will not be limited to drugs and weapons smuggling. With the recent
Daesh attack on a prison that hosts its well-trained members in the
north-eastern part of Syria, it is important to deal with drug smuggling as we
have been dealing with terrorism, simply because it is really hard today to
separate the activities of organized crime networks and terrorist groups.
The risk of
confrontation on the Jordanian border with Syria might be growing and take
different shapes. The new tactics and sophisticated logistics that terrorist
and criminal groups have today means there is need of an important political
and intelligence role to contain such challenges.
The Jordanian
army is engaging actively in this confrontation, still, Syria needs to take
concrete steps to minimise these risks. At the same time, preventive
intelligence measures are needed to assist and help the army conduct its
mission.
Amer Al-Sabaileh is a Jordanian university professor and
geopolitical expert. He is a leading columnist in national, regional, and
international media, offers consultancies to think tanks and speaks at
international conferences on Middle East politics and developments.
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