US President Donald Trump announced a new 'military coalition' in Latin America against drug cartels on Saturday, during the 'Shield of the Americas' summit in Miami with right-wing leaders from the region, whom he said he needs their 'help'.
In his speech, the Republican promised to attack drug trafficking networks even 'more intensely' than the campaign against alleged drug-laden boats in the Caribbean during the weeks leading up to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
In the same speech, the president stated that Mexico is the 'epicenter of cartel violence' and mocked Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who was not invited to the summit because, he said, she has rejected US aid to combat them.
The essence of the agreement, Trump said, is 'the commitment to use lethal military force to destroy' the cartels.
'Once and for all, we will get rid of them,' he declared.
'You just have to tell us where they are,' the president said. 'We need your help.'
'This is a historic day. We gather to announce a new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels that plague our region,' the president declared before signing a decree to formalize this new coalition.
The summit attendees are the leaders of Argentina, Javier Milei; Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz; Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chávez; the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader; Ecuador, Daniel Noboa; El Salvador, Nayib Bukele; Guyana, Irfaan Ali; Honduras, Nasry 'Tito' Asfura; Panama, José Raúl Mulino; Paraguay, Santiago Peña; and Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
