Jordanian army condemns Syria after border shootout tied to drugs

The Jordanian military blamed Damascus for increased drug smuggling into the kingdom from southern Syria, after the second major narcotics-related shoot-out on the border in three weeks. Several drug and weapons smugglers who crossed the northern border from Syria have been killed in clashes that began at dawn on Saturday, the army said. "The responsibility lies with the Syrian state," Brigadier Mustafa Al Hiyari, the army's spokesman, told state TV. "The responsibility lies with this government any presence of militias, regardless of their ties," he added.