Jordan’s border guards uncover drug smuggling operation

Officers were faced with resistance during the operation at the border which led to the injury of one smuggler. (File/Shutterstock)
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Updated 28 August 2022
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Jordan’s border guards uncover drug smuggling operation

  • Border officers uncovered 578 palm-sized sheets of hashish in the operation

AMMAN: Jordan’s northern border guards uncovered a drug smuggling operation on Saturday that attempted to export large quantities of drugs from Syria. 
Border officers uncovered 578 palm-sized sheets of hashish, 6447,000 Captagon pills and 1,876 Lyrica narcotic capsules inside a vehicle, state news agency PETRA reported.
Officers were faced with resistance during the operation at the border which led to the injury of one smuggler, while others retreated to Syrian territory.  
The statement from Jordan’s Armed Forces spokesperson said that border guards will take all necessary measures to “prevent any infiltration or smuggling attempt, protect the border and stand firmly against those who try to tamper with Jordan's national security.”


Syrian government says it controls prison in Raqqa with Daesh-linked detainees

Updated 23 January 2026
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Syrian government says it controls prison in Raqqa with Daesh-linked detainees

  • Prison holds detainees linked to Daesh, and witnessed ⁠clashes in its vicinity between advancing Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters

Syria’s Interior Ministry said on Friday it had taken over Al-Aktan prison in the city of Raqqa ​in northeastern Syria, a facility that was formerly under the control of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The prison has been holding detainees linked to the militant group Daesh, and witnessed clashes in its vicinity this week between advancing Syrian government forces and the SDF.

It ‌was not ‌immediately clear how many ‌Daesh ⁠detainees ​remain in Al-Aktan ‌prison as the US military has started transferring up to 7,000 prisoners linked to the militant Islamist group from Syrian jails to neighboring Iraq. US officials say the detainees are citizens of many countries, including in Europe.

“Specialized teams were ⁠formed from the counter-terrorism department and other relevant authorities to ‌take over the tasks of guarding ‍and securing the prison ‍and controlling the security situation inside it,” ‍the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Under a sweeping integration deal agreed on Sunday, responsibility for prisons housing Daesh detainees was meant to be transferred to ​the Syrian government.

The SDF said on Monday it was battling Syrian government forces near ⁠Al-Aktan and that the seizure of the prison by the government forces “could have serious security repercussions that threaten stability and pave the way for a return to chaos and terrorism.”

The US transfer of Daesh prisoners follows the rapid collapse of Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria. Concerns over prison security intensified after the escape on Tuesday of roughly 200 low-level Daesh fighters from Syria’s ‌Shaddadi prison. Syrian government forces later recaptured many of them.