US Expands Joint Military Operations Into Latin America

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced from a military drill in Panama that Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras have agreed to joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil. This expansion moves a lethal campaign from the sea to the land, following more than 60 boat strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific that killed over 200 people over the past year. The initiative follows similar joint raids launched in Ecuador in March.

The Trump administration intends to assert American dominance over the Western Hemisphere by treating drug traffickers as targets equivalent to ISIS or al-Qaida. While Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella requested increased U.S. involvement to target groups such as the National Liberation Army, other regional leaders have resisted. Guatemala's President Bernardo Arévalo denied reaching any such agreement, stating that joint operations would be illegal without congressional approval. Similarly, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has resisted a U.S. military role on Mexican soil.

Critics warn that the expansion violates national sovereignty and risks civilian casualties. They point to a previous U.S. strike in Ecuador that mistakenly destroyed a cattle farm instead of a drug laboratory.