Washington (TDI): President Donald Trump said the United States will begin striking drug cartels on land, following previous maritime attacks in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean.
“We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico,” Trump said in an interview.
The remarks come after the controversial abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last weekend, which capped months of US military and economic pressure on the leftist leader.
Since September, Trump has said US forces have conducted strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, reportedly killing more than 100 people, and also targeted a docking area in Venezuela.
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Trump indicated that similar operations in Mexico could represent a major escalation. He said he had offered Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum permission to send US forces against the cartels, an offer she has reportedly declined.
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The move could raise significant diplomatic concerns, as strikes on Mexican soil would represent a new and sensitive chapter in US-Mexico relations, and could face international scrutiny over sovereignty and legal boundaries.
