Jordan pleads for US support against Syria-based Iranian drug traffickers
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – During a visit by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Amman on Sunday, Jordan’s King Abdullah asked for greater American support against Iranian militias using Jordan as drug transfer hub.
According to Reuters, the two men discussed the growing threat posed by Iran to the region. Part of this is the entrenchment of Iranian-backed in Syria’s southern border with Jordan. According to the king, the militias use the kingdom to deliver drugs to Gulf countries, where they are sold at a mark-up.
Amman wants more US presence at the border. Since the beginning of the Syrian war, Washington has spent around $1 billion on securitizing the almost 400 km-long border.
Raids around Daraa by government forces on the Syrian side arrested a number of drug traffickers today.