Drug smugglers operating from Syria killed a Jordanian army officer on Sunday in a gunfight on the border, the Jordanian military said.
The military said Capt Mohammad Al Khdeirat was killed at 4am when a group of smugglers fired at Jordanian border guards on the north-eastern frontier with Syria.
Three soldiers were wounded and transferred to a hospital near the city of Irbid, the military said in a statement, adding that the smugglers fled back to Syria.
“A large quantity of drugs were found after searching the area,” the statement said. “The army will respond with all strength and resolve [against] any infiltration attempt to protect our borders and prevent anyone who dares to violate our national security.”
Several Jordanian military personnel have been killed or wounded over the past two years in armed clashes related to drug smuggling from Syria.
Curbing the smuggling has been a motive behind Jordanian overtures towards President Bashar Al Assad since last year.
Over the past two years Jordan has become a crossroads for drugs smuggling, Arab security officials have warned.
Jordanian officials say Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group and militias who hold sway in southern Syria are behind the smuggling of one of the most popular banned drugs, a stimulant known as Captagon, which has a thriving market in the Gulf. Hezbollah denies the accusations, calling them fabricated.
The smuggling also feeds domestic demand in Jordan.
Syrian drug production was on the agenda of a rare meeting between the Jordanian and Syrian chiefs of staff in Amman in September.
Ties between Jordan and Syria worsened after the revolt against five decades of Assad family rule that began in 2011 and prompted a brutal crackdown by the regime.
Jordan initially criticised the violence employed by the regime and hosted rebels supported by Western and Arab countries as the revolt gave way to civil war.
But the Russian intervention in 2015 on the side of Assad promoted the kingdom to abandon support for rebels.
With encouragement from Moscow, Jordan took steps last year to improve ties with the regime in Damascus.
Some restrictions at the main Jaber-Nasib crossing between the two countries were eased and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al Safadi met Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad at the UN General Assembly in New York in September.
UN drug experts say Syria has become the region's main production site for drugs destined for Jordan, Iraq, the Gulf and Europe.
Jordanian officials have voiced increasing alarm at a spike in attempted drug smuggling from Syria over the past year, including large quantities found hidden in Syrian lorries passing through its main border crossing to the Gulf region.
Syrian authorities have in recent months announced several major interceptions of drugs destined for Gulf markets and say they are doing their utmost to crack down on widespread production in the country.
But the drug smuggling has shown little signs of abating, and Jordanian security officials regard it as a major security threat.
Last year the Jordanian army said it shot down a drone flying a large quantity of drugs across the border.
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
'Jurassic%20World%20Dominion'
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Colin%20Trevorrow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Sam%20Neill%2C%20Laura%20Dern%2C%20Jeff%20Goldblum%2C%20Bryce%20Dallas%20Howard%2C%20Chris%20Pratt%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Superliminal%20
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Company%C2%A0profile
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57%20Seconds
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Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications