A new report claims that President Donald Trump has secretly authorized the Pentagon to use military force against Latin American drug cartels that have been designated as terrorist organizations.
According to The New York Times, sources familiar with the president’s directive to the Pentagon told the outlet that the U.S. military has been authorized to potentially conduct operations against certain drug cartels, which could lead to military operations in foreign countries and at sea.
In a statement obtained by The New York Post, a source close to the Trump White House said, “The president is determined to not just dismantle – but completely destroy – [Venezuelan dictator Nicolas] Maduro’s Cartel de Los Soles and obliterate their operations in the Western Hemisphere.”
The sources familiar with the Trump administration’s plans told The New York Times that U.S. military officials have started considering options for how the Pentagon could take action against Latin American drug cartels.
Asked about the report concerning Trump’s directive for the Pentagon to use military force against drug cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations, Deputy White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly stated, “President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.”
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In January, Trump designated multiple violent drug cartels as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations.”
“The Cartels and other transnational organizations, such as TdA and MS-13, operate both within and outside the United States,” Trump wrote. “They present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. I hereby declare a national emergency, under IEEPA, to deal with those threats.”
According to The Hill, Trump announced in May that he offered to send U.S. military troops to Mexico to target various drug cartels; however, the president’s order was refused by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
“We can collaborate. We can work together. But you in your territory, and us in ours,” Sheinbaum stated in response to Trump’s offer. “We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States Army in our territory.”
Following reports of the president’s secret directive to the Pentagon, Sheinbaum told reporters on Friday, “The United States is not going to come to Mexico with their military. We cooperate, we collaborate, but there will be no invasion. It’s off the table, absolutely off the table.”
Sheinbaum explained that the president’s authorization “had nothing to do with the participation of any military or any institution on our territory” and emphasized that there is “no risk that they will invade our territory.”
