Washington, Aug 8 (EFE) – United States President Donald Trump defended on Friday sending troops against drug cartels in Latin America to “protect” his country.
“Latin America’s got a lot of cartels, and they’ve got a lot of drugs flowing. So, you know, we want to protect our country. We have to protect our country. We haven’t been doing it for four years,” Trump said.
“So, you know, we’re playing a tough game, but we’ll have more to say about that soon,” he added.
Reporters asked Trump about the matter hours after The New York Times exclusively published that he had already signed a secret order instructing the Pentagon to use military force against the cartels, according to sources.
According to the Times, US forces would already have a legal instrument to carry out direct and unilateral military attacks on foreign territory against the cartels.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government had been informed of the executive order but insisted that “it had nothing to do with the participation of any military or any institution on our territory. There is no risk that they will invade our territory.”
Since his return to the White House, Trump has sought to combat fentanyl trafficking in the US, which he claims is mainly produced by Mexican cartels using Chinese products.
In response to the impact of this drug in his country, which has caused a large number of deaths, in February, he designated the six Mexican cartels as terrorists: the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco Cartel – New Generation (CJNG), the Northeast Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, Carteles Unidos, and the New Mexican Family.
In July, the US added the Cartel of the Suns to the list, which, according to Washington, is allegedly led by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a claim that Caracas denies.
The current administration has intensified secret drone flights over Mexico to track fentanyl labs, which began during the previous administration of Joe Biden. EFE
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