ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sunday called on Jordan to ensure accountability and compensate the families of the victims of an airstrike in Syria that killed 10 people earlier this year, stating that the attack amounts to “extrajudicial executions.”
Suspected Jordanian airstrikes struck civilian houses in the town of Orman in the southern province of Suwayda on January 18, killing ten members of the same family, including two children. The strikes are believed to have been part of the Jordanian Armed Forces’ intensified campaign against drug trafficking and came amid clashes along the border with Syria.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the airstrikes. Following the attack, the Syrian government said there was no excuse for the strikes.
“Cross-border airstrikes that kill civilians demand scrutiny regardless of the threat posed by drug smuggling from southern Syria,” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at HRW.
“Jordan should halt military strikes against non-military targets and compensate victims of previous attacks and their families,” Coogle added.
Jordan has become a transit point of drugs, particularly captagon, being smuggled out of Syria which has turned into a Middle Eastern hub for narcotics. The Jordanian military has previously downed drones carrying narcotics, as well as weapons.
Numerous meetings have taken place between Jordanian and Syrian officials in an attempt to curb the illicit drug trade, but Amman remains dissatisfied with the outcome of these talks. The highest-level meeting took place in July between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The report by HRW identified the victims as pertaining to the al-Halabi family, a well-known Druze family in Suwayda. In interviews conducted by the rights watchdog, the family denied any ties to drug trafficking.
“Jordan should ensure thorough and impartial investigations into the January 18 airstrike and previous strikes, including to establish how and with whom any policy originated, and ensure that those responsible for the violations are held accountable,” the watchdog urged.
Jordan was also reportedly behind airstrikes in Syria in December 2023 which killed at least five civilians.
