The United States will extend the military campaign already carried out at sea against drug trafficking to the territory of Latin America. The announcement was made by the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, this week. According to him, Washington intends to apply the operational capacity used in attacks in recent months on vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
“It will be the same effect on land, and that is why we are working with Ecuador, Colombia and partners to take the fight to the DTOs [organizações definidas como terroristas] on land,” said Hegseth in Panama. “Wherever they traffic drugs or threaten the American people or our partners, [essas organizações] they are a target, just like the Islamic State or Al Qaeda,” he said.
The campaign by sea began in September 2025 and has already killed at least 215 people in attacks on vessels, according to a report released by the agency AFP. Hegseth, however, defends the lethality of the offensive, maintaining that he would not subject the suspects to legal proceedings that, according to the authority, would have no practical effects.
The new American proposal is part of the Anti-Cartel Coalition of the Americas, an arm of the Shield of the Americas. The alliance involves 19 countries and is led by President Donald Trump. In addition to the United States, the collegiate includes countries governed by leaders ideologically aligned with Washington, such as Argentina, the Police, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.
Colombia is the most recent addition, in a decision taken after President Abelardo De la Espriella came to power. According to Hegseth, the United States must act on Colombian soil to “combat terrorism” and conduct joint military operations.
Gustavo Petro, who left the presidency last Saturday (7), criticized the new government’s decision. “If there is no permission from the Senate or the State Council, collaboration becomes an invasion and the right to kill Colombians, which is not granted to any decent country in the world”, he mentioned on his social networks.
The United States has not yet given details on how it intends to coordinate land operations in Latin America, nor on which countries would be particularly affected by the measures. Still, according to Hegseth, the main target would be cocaine trafficking, as well as fentanyl, which circulates in Mexico. The country neighboring the USA, however, is not part of the Shield of the Americas.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
