Jordanian troops kill smuggler at Syrian border

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Jordanian military on Saturday said it thwarted an attempt to smuggle drugs and weapons into the country from neighboring Syria, killing one smuggler and wounding several others.

The military said in a statement it seized a “large quantity” of narcotics as well as ammunition and a communications device, and that the smugglers fled back to Syria. It said the incident occurred at dawn in Eastern Jordan and gave no further details.

On Wednesday, Petra News Agency reported that the Jordanian authorities thwarted an attempt to smuggle half a million pills from Syria into Jordan.

Jordan is a close Western ally and has long been seen as an island of stability in a turbulent region. The kingdom hosts more than 650,000 Syrian refugees.