WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) – The United States has ordered the deployment of U.S. air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean Sea to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, two sources briefed on the decision told Reuters on Thursday.
The sources had few details of the operation, but President Donald Trump has wanted to use the military to go after Latin American drug gangs that have been designated as global terrorist organizations. The Pentagon had been directed to prepare options.
Trump has made cracking down on drug cartels a central goal of his administration, part of a wider effort to limit migration and secure the U.S. southern border.
The Trump administration in recent months has already deployed at least two warships to help in border security efforts and drug trafficking.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Defense Department has begun ordering the deployment of U.S. air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean Sea.
"This deployment is aimed at addressing threats to U.S. national security from specially designated narco-terrorist organizations in the region," one of the sources said.
The Trump administration designated Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and other drug gangs as well as Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua as global terrorist organizations in February, as Trump stepped up immigration enforcement against alleged gang members.
The U.S. military has already been increasing its airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities. Trump has previously offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help combat drug trafficking, an offer Mexico says it has refused.
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6 Comments
How did the Democratic Party become known as warmongers? Biden pulled out of Afghanistan and we just sent weapons to Ukraine.
https://preview.redd.it/jcjwo6ci60jf1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef75790e86a55e91fa5f8fb0ab1a5373635a83b0
Why is United States conducting drug busts for Europe.
Why is the media obsessed with Mexican cartels being bombed by American forces? Claudia is playing ball with Trump’s populist antics.
Mexico is not in the Southern Caribbean Sea, Venezuela is.
> The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Cartel de los Soles (a.k.a. Cartel of the Suns) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Cartel de los Soles is a Venezuela-based criminal group headed by Nicolas Maduro Moros and other high-ranking Venezuelan individuals in the Maduro regime that provides material support to foreign terrorist organizations threatening the peace and security of the United States, namely Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel.
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0207
Serious question. Aren’t long-term solutions doomed to fail if you don’t reduce demand first?
I always assumed that you can eliminate cartels but others will appear in their place as drugs are simply way too profitable that greedy people will always seize the chance.
I’m very curious where specifically these troops will be deployed. Will it be done to pressure regime change in foreign countries? Will it just be a photo op to rally people in the US? Or will it really target cartels?