Official: Soldiers in Jordan arrest 5 arms smugglers coming from Syria with guns, explosives

AMMAN, Jordan – An army official in Jordan says the country's border patrol has seized a large cache of arms and ammunition, explosives, drugs and cigarettes coming from Syria.

The official says five people were arrested at dawn Wednesday after exchanging fire with Jordanian soldiers manning the 375-kilometer (230-mile) northern border with Syria.

He says one of the smugglers was wounded in the exchange. He declined to offer further details.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to publicly brief journalists.

There are more than 40 border crossing points along Jordan's mostly desert border with Syria. Many are used by refugees fleeing the country's civil war, as well as by smugglers. Jordanian authorities have arrested smugglers there in the past.