The Trump administration defended its escalating military campaign against drug cartels as defense officials from 19 Latin American and Caribbean nations gathered in Santo Domingo for the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition forum. The coalition, led by the United States, frames cartels as violent extremist organizations akin to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.
Eric J. Geressy, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, argued that transnational cartels cannot match U.S. military capabilities and instead attempt to undermine operations through legal challenges and NGO financing. The Pentagon has deployed MQ-9 Reaper drones to Colombia and Ecuador and sent hundreds of Army soldiers to train local forces in Colombia, Honduras and other regional partners.
The U.S. military has conducted 72 boat strikes since August, killing at least 244 people, drawing sharp criticism from legal experts and lawmakers who argue the attacks violate international law by targeting civilians not directly engaged in hostilities. A New York Times investigation also revealed a joint U.S.-Ecuadorean operation mistakenly struck a dairy farm rather than a trafficker camp. Mr. Geressy asserted the U.S. operates under disciplined rules of engagement and that the State Department is establishing bilateral legal safeguards for partner nations.
The summit underscored growing U.S. pressure on regional allies to expand joint military offensives against trafficking networks, extending operations from maritime interdiction to land-based strikes.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing