Amman: Jordan on Wednesday identified vehicles its fighter jets destroyed as they tried to cross illegally from Syria into the kingdom as belonging to arms traders.
“Initial probe shows that those who were inside the vehicles were infiltrators who tried to smuggle weapons and other things,” Information Minister Mohammad Momani told AFP.
“They were all killed,” Momani, who is also government spokesman, said without giving numbers.
A military official confirmed his comments.
“They were arms smugglers who also try to smuggle drugs sometimes,” the official said.
The army said earlier that air force fighter jets had destroyed a number of vehicles attempting to cross into Jordan from Syria.
“The camouflaged vehicles tried to enter from an area with rugged terrain,” it added in a statement.
“The fighter jets fired warning shots, but they were ignored, prompting them to destroy the vehicles. The army will not tolerate such actions.”
A Syrian military source, cited by state television in Damascus, said the vehicles did not belong to Syria’s armed forces.
The air strikes marked the first time Jordan has used fighter jets against such infiltrations.
Amman says arms smuggling across the border with Syria has risen by 300 per cent in the past year.
