President Donald Trump said on Monday that he supports aggressive action against drug cartels and narcotics production in Mexico and Colombia.
Trump has intensified his campaign against maritime drug trafficking, authorising more forceful interdiction operations and giving U.S. forces expanded authority to disable or sink vessels suspected of carrying narcotics.
Asked at an event in the Oval Office whether he backed similar ground strikes in Mexico to stem drug trafficking, Trump said, “OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs.”
While he stopped short of announcing any direct U.S. military intervention, he later raised the prospect of targeting cocaine laboratories in Colombia.
“Would I knock out those factories? I would be proud to do it personally,” Trump said.
“I didn’t say I’m doing it, but I would be proud to do it because we’re going to save millions of lives,” he added.
Trump's comments are in contrast to remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who last week said there would be no U.S. military intervention in Mexico and that cooperation between the two countries was at an "all-time high."
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has repeatedly boasted about good relations with Trump and his administration, denied earlier this month that any unilateral U.S. military action would take place.
This follows reports that the U.S. had begun detailed planning for a new anti-cartel mission inside the country, including sending troops and intelligence officers to Mexico.
Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro have traded barbs over drug enforcement strategy, escalating tensions between Washington and Bogota.
Last week, Petro ordered Colombian public security forces to suspend intelligence sharing with U.S. intelligence agencies until Washington stops attacking boats in the Caribbean.
U.S. border chief Tom Homan said on Thursday (12 February) a federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota will end after months of raids that led to mor...
Belgian police searched multiple European Commission offices in Brussels on Thursday as part of an investigation into the 2024 sale of EU-owned buildi...
Russia’s car market is continuing to receive tens of thousands of foreign-brand vehicles via China despite sanctions imposed after Moscow’s full-s...
Azerbaijan’s State Security Service has filed charges against a group of people accused of belonging to a criminal network alleged to have attempted...
Norwegian police searched the homes of former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland on Thursday (12 February) as part of an ongoing investigation into all...
Stalled U.S.–Iran talks and mounting regional tensions are exposing a growing strategic rift between Washington and Tel Aviv over how to confront Tehran, political analyst James M. Dorsey says, exposing stark differences in approach at a critical moment.
The Ukrainian capital came under a “massive” Russian missile attack early Thursday (12 February), with explosions heard across the capital according to authorities. The assault unfolded as uncertainty lingers over upcoming U.S.-brokered peace talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Trump hosted Netanyahu for closed-door talks focused on negotiations with Tehran, Gaza and wider rBenjamin Netanyahu ended a two-and-a-half-hour meeting at The White House on Wednesday without reaching agreement on how to move forward on Iran.
The United States and Azerbaijan signed a new strategic partnership agreement in Baku on Tuesday, expanding cooperation on defence, energy security, artificial intelligence and economic ties.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Ankara on Wednesday, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace, marking the start of high-level talks between the two NATO allies.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader said on Tuesday that negotiations with the United States must remain focused on the nuclear issue and be grounded in realism, as Washington and Tehran prepare to resume talks mediated by Oman.
James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame as Dawson Leery in the hit teen drama Dawson’s Creek, has died aged 48 following a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said a bridge project linking Canada’s Ontario province with the U.S. state of Michigan would contribute to cooperation between the two countries.
The suspect in a deadly school shooting in western Canada was an 18-year-old woman who allegedly killed her mother and stepbrother before attacking her former school. Investigators have not provided a motive for what is being described as one of the worst mass killings in Canada.
U.S. border chief Tom Homan said on Thursday (12 February) a federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota will end after months of raids that led to more than 4,000 arrests, mass protests and two fatal shootings.
Norwegian police searched the homes of former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland on Thursday (12 February) as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged ties between prominent Norwegians and the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, authorities and media reports said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has chosen his teenage daughter as his successor, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday.
Belgian police searched multiple European Commission offices in Brussels on Thursday as part of an investigation into the 2024 sale of EU-owned buildings to the Belgian state.
Polls have close in Bangladesh's first general election since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s political transition. Turnout reached 47.91% by early afternoon, according to partial data from election authorities.
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