Force with no firepower
THE clock is ticking on an international police force sent to restore order in Haiti. Money is running out and bodies are piling up.
The Multinational Security Support mission, a force of mostly Kenyan police officers known as the MSS, arrived in Haiti one year ago, intent on pulling Haiti out of the clutches of gang chaos.
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New Straits Times
10 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Trump may use military against drug cartels: reports
WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump is moving to target Latin American drug cartels with the military, US media reported on Friday, after Washington designated several narcotics trafficking groups as "terrorist" organisations earlier this year. The New York Times reported that Trump has directed the Pentagon to use military force against cartels deemed terrorist organisations. The Wall Street Journal said the president had ordered options to be prepared, with the use of special forces and the provision of intelligence support under discussion, and that any action would be coordinated with foreign partners. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, while not confirming the reports, said in a statement that Trump's "top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organisations". The United States designated Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and six other drug trafficking groups with Latin American roots as terror groups in February. The US embassy in Mexico released a statement later on Friday, saying both countries would use "every tool at our disposal to protect our peoples" from drug trafficking groups. However, the Mexican foreign ministry stressed that Mexico "would not accept the participation of US military forces on our territory". Trump's administration has since added another Venezuelan gang, the Cartel of the Suns, which has allegedly shipped hundreds of tonnes of narcotics into the United States over two decades. The United States accuses Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro of leading that cartel – an allegation Caracas has rejected as a "ridiculous smokescreen". Trump signed an executive order on 20 January, his first day back in the White House, creating a process for the designation of the cartels, which he said "constitute a national-security threat beyond that posed by traditional organised crime". US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Thursday interview with EWTN that the designations allow "us to now target what they're operating and to use other elements of American power, intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, whatever – to target these groups". "We have to start treating them as armed terrorist organisations, not simply drug dealing organisations," Rubio said. "It's no longer a law enforcement issue. It becomes a national security issue." Trump vowed in March to "wage war" on Mexico's drug cartels, which he accused of rape and murder. His Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum, following reports of potential US military action against cartels, insisted on Friday that there would be "no invasion" of her country. Sheinbaum has made strenuous efforts to show Trump she is acting against Mexico's cartels, whom he accuses of flooding the United States with drugs, particularly fentanyl. "We are cooperating, we are collaborating, but there will be no invasion. That is absolutely ruled out," she said. Sheinbaum has been dubbed the "Trump whisperer" for repeatedly securing reprieves from his threats of stiff tariffs over the smuggling of drugs and migrants across their shared border. - AFP
The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
Mexico denies invasion risk after Trump's cartel military order
MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum dismissed concerns of a US military invasion following reports of an executive order by former President Donald Trump targeting drug cartels. 'There will be no invasion of Mexico,' Sheinbaum stated after The New York Times revealed Trump's secret directive authorising military force against cartels. The Mexican foreign ministry later confirmed it would not permit US military operations on its soil. The US embassy in Mexico emphasised joint efforts to combat drug trafficking, calling cartels a 'common enemy.' US Ambassador Ronald Johnson reiterated the shared threat posed by violent criminal organisations. The Pentagon deferred questions to the White House, which did not immediately confirm the order. Trump's directive reportedly allows military action against cartels, including operations on foreign territory. Earlier this year, his administration designated eight drug trafficking groups, including six Mexican cartels, as terrorist organisations. A Venezuelan gang, the Cartel of the Suns, was recently added to the list for smuggling narcotics into the US. The US Justice Department also increased its bounty on Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million. Venezuela dismissed the allegations as baseless, with Foreign Minister Yvan Gil calling them a 'ridiculous smokescreen.' Sheinbaum has worked to demonstrate Mexico's cooperation in combating cartels amid Trump's accusations of drug trafficking. 'We are collaborating, but there will be no invasion,' she stressed. Mexico has consistently opposed any foreign military intervention in its territory. Sheinbaum, known as the 'Trump whisperer,' has previously defused tensions over trade threats linked to drug smuggling. - AFP
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Mexico at no risk of US military intervention, Sheinbaum says
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday said that members of the U.S. military would not be entering Mexican territory after a news report that Washington may take such action to combat drug cartels. Earlier on Friday, The New York Times reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels. Sheinbaum said her government had been informed of a coming order but that it had nothing to do with the U.S. military operating on Mexican soil. (Reporting by Mexico newsroom; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Kylie Madry)
