The United States has opened the possibility of conducting joint\nmilitary operations with Colombia to destroy armed groups accused of\ninvolvement in terror networks and drug trafficking. The signal was\nconveyed by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as he welcomed Colombia\ninto the Washington-led counter-cartel coalition.<\/p>\n
Hegseth said Colombia had granted authority to carry out joint\nmilitary operations to destroy terrorist groups and terror networks. The\nstatement was made at a meeting of the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition\nled by the US in Panama.<\/p>\n
When asked whether he had discussed the possibility of joint strikes\nwith his Colombian counterpart against armed groups such as the National\nLiberation Army (ELN) and remnants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of\nColombia (FARC), Hegseth replied, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ELN is a group designated by the US as a terrorist\norganisation.<\/p>\n
Hegseth went further in indicating the possibility of direct US\nmilitary involvement in such operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cDesignated terrorist organisations, along with partner governments,\nwill be legitimate targets for the United States government,\u201d Hegseth\nsaid when asked whether such operations were expected to be carried out,\nas quoted by Reuters.<\/p>\n
The meeting in Panama demonstrated the widening scope of US President\nDonald Trump\u2019s policy in Latin America. Washington\u2019s policy in the\nregion is no longer focused solely on the Panama Canal, but now also\nencompasses operations against drug trafficking and armed groups.<\/p>\n
Since September last year, more than 200 people have died in a series\nof US military strikes on vessels suspected of carrying drugs.<\/p>\n
In January, a US-led commando operation also toppled Nicolas Maduro\nfrom the presidency of Venezuela.<\/p>\n
These military measures have drawn criticism. Critics argue that US\nstrikes on vessels suspected of drug links could be categorised as war\ncrimes warranting attention from the International Criminal Court\n(ICC).<\/p>\n
Hegseth, however, condemned the organisation. He also urged partner\ncountries attending the Panama meeting to withdraw from the ICC.<\/p>\n
Hegseth equated drug trafficking groups with terrorist organisations\nsuch as Al Qaeda and Islamic State.<\/p>\n
In a speech at a hotel in Panama City, Hegseth also revived a concept\nhe called an updated Monroe Doctrine. The 19th-century Monroe policy\nasserted the dominant position of the US in the Americas and is often\nlinked by critics to the history of Washington\u2019s intervention in the\nregion.<\/p>\n
Hegseth referred to the new version of the policy as the \u201cDonroe\nDoctrine\u201d, a play on the surnames of Trump and Monroe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will defend our hemisphere from external threats,\u201d Hegseth said.\nThose threats, according to him, include drug traffickers as well as\nforeign influence deemed harmful.<\/p>\n
Colombia\u2019s Response<\/p>\n
The new Colombian government was among those welcoming the approach.\nColombian President Abelardo De La Espriella pledged a massive security\ncrackdown, which subsequently received support from the Trump\nadministration.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the Trump administration announced plans to provide US$1\nbillion in security assistance to the De La Espriella government.<\/p>\n
In his inauguration speech on Friday, De La Espriella vowed to\n\u201cdefinitively eradicate the scourge of illegal crops\u201d and also expressed\nhis commitment to joining the Shield of the Americas programme\nestablished by Trump.<\/p>\n
De La Espriella previously blamed his predecessor, left-leaning\nPresident Gustavo Petro, for the expansion of armed groups in\nColombia.<\/p>\n
At the same meeting with Hegseth, Colombian Defence Minister Jorge\nEduardo Mora, a retired major general, said his country could play an\nimportant role in combating drug traffickers in the Pacific and\nCaribbean coastal regions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the time has come for narco-terrorist cartels to face the\nstrength and capability of the entire hemisphere, led by the United\nStates,\u201d Mora said.<\/p>\n
A US official speaking on condition of anonymity said the new\nsecurity partnership is expected to surpass the level of cooperation\npreviously carried out through Plan Colombia.<\/p>\n
Plan Colombia was a US-Colombia counter-narcotics initiative launched\nin the early 2000s.<\/p>\n
Political Shift in Latin America<\/p>\n
Colombia\u2019s new government joining the security partnership with\nWashington also comes amid a broader rightward political shift across\nLatin America.<\/p>\n
The election of De La Espriella is part of that change.<\/p>\n
In Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru, weak\neconomic conditions and rising criminality have shifted voter\npriorities. The situation has given space for hard-right candidates\npreviously on the political fringes to gain support.<\/p>\n
These candidates offer an approach of harsh crackdowns on criminality\namid rising right-wing nationalism globally.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Panama has also become increasingly important in Trump\u2019s\nstrategy for the region.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration secured a major victory from Panama\u2019s\nSupreme Court in January after Washington raised concerns about growing\nChinese influence.<\/p>\n
CK Hutchison, based in Hong Kong, through its local unit Panama Ports\nCompany, lost a port concession it had held for nearly three\ndecades.<\/p>\n
Panama\u2019s position is strategic because the Panama Canal handles\naround 5% of global maritime trade. This makes the ports at the canal\u2019s\nentrances one of the sensitive points.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/not-the-middle-east-us-suddenly-prepares-major-military-operation-here-1786852258", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }