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Trump Proposes US Missile Strikes to Help Latin American Allies Target Drug Cartels
Donald Trump tells Latin American leaders the US can provide missile support to target drug cartel kingpins, calling organised crime a “cancer” in the region.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday proposed using military force, including potential US missile strikes, to help Latin American governments confront powerful drug cartels.
Addressing a gathering of right-leaning leaders from across the region at his Trump National Doral Miami resort near Miami, Trump described organised crime networks as a “cancer” that must be eliminated.
“We’re working with you to do whatever we have to do. We’ll use missiles. You want us to use a missile? They’re extremely accurate,” he told the leaders.
“‘Piu,’ right into the living room… That’s the end of that cartel person. But we’ll do whatever you need.”
The meeting formally unveiled a 17-nation coalition called the Shield of the Americas, which the White House said commits participating countries to use “hard power” against security threats linked to drug trafficking.
Trump has already taken an assertive approach in Latin America, previously supporting the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and working with his successor Delcy Rodriguez.
Participants at the summit included Javier Milei of Argentina, Daniel Noboa of Ecuador and Nayib Bukele of El Salvador.
Security analyst Irene Mia of the International Institute for Strategic Studies said many right-wing governments in the region are increasingly concerned about the growing influence of drug cartels, which have recently expanded into countries such as Ecuador and Chile.
Trump urged leaders to deploy their militaries to dismantle the criminal organisations.
“The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries. We have to use our military,” he said.
He also issued a sharp warning to Cuba.
“I’ll take care of Cuba,” Trump said.
“They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy, they have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time… Cuba’s in its last moments of life.”
The remarks come shortly after US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered a broader regional crisis affecting global energy and transport.
Meanwhile, Washington and Ecuador this week announced joint operations targeting drug trafficking groups that have driven a sharp surge in violence.
Video released by the US military and Ecuadorian authorities showed a house exploding in a forest area, described as a successful operation against “narcoterrorists.”
Leaders from Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago also attended, alongside Chile’s president-elect Jose Antonio Kast.
However, the absence of Mexico and Brazil — two key countries in the drug trade route — may limit the coalition’s effectiveness, analysts say.
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