After killing hundreds in boat strikes, US military expands campaign on land in Latin America
- The Trump administration says it is seeking to extend its anti-drug campaign in Latin America from boat strikes at sea to joint operations on land.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow U.S. joint military operations, though Guatemala denied any such agreement.
- Ecuador has already carried out joint missions with the United States, and critics say the broader effort could lead to civilian casualties and backlash against the United States.
- The United States has killed more than 200 people in over 60 boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since January 2025, drawing questions about the evidence and legality of the attacks.
- The article says Mexico has resisted pressure for a U.S. military role on its territory, despite close cooperation on security matters.
The Trump administration is trying to expand its Latin America anti-drug campaign from maritime strikes to land-based operations. The move follows a year of U.S. attacks on boats the military says were carrying drugs off the region’s coasts, which have left hundreds dead.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to let U.S. forces conduct joint operations against criminal groups on their territory. Guatemala later denied that it had reached such an agreement. Hegseth said the effort would have the same effect on land as the boat strikes at sea.
The article says Ecuador is the clearest example of direct U.S. military involvement on land so far, with joint missions already underway. It also notes that critics warn the broader campaign could bring civilian casualties and strain relations with countries in the region.
Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, the United States has designated multiple Latin American criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations and carried out more than 60 boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing more than 200 people. The article says those operations have raised questions about the evidence used and the legality of the strikes.
在船只空袭致数百人死亡后，美军将拉美打击行动扩展到陆地
特朗普政府正试图把在拉丁美洲的反毒行动从海上打击扩大到陆上联合行动。这一变化发生在美国军方过去一年持续打击被指运毒船只之后，相关行动已造成数百人死亡。
国防部长赫格塞斯在访问巴拿马时表示，哥伦比亚、危地马拉和洪都拉斯同意让美军在其领土上与当地部队开展联合行动。危地马拉随后否认已经达成这类协议。赫格塞斯称，这种做法在陆地上的效果将与海上打击类似。
报道说，厄瓜多尔目前是美国在陆地直接参与行动的最明确案例，双方已开展联合任务。报道同时指出，批评者担心，行动扩大后可能带来平民伤亡，并加剧美国与地区国家之间的紧张关系。
自特朗普于2025年1月重返白宫以来，美国将多个拉美犯罪组织列为外国恐怖组织，并在加勒比海和东太平洋实施了60多次船只打击，造成200多人死亡。报道说，这些行动引发了外界对所用证据和打击合法性的质疑。