US President Donald Trump urged Latin American leaders to use military force against drug cartels, offering US missile strikes and launching a new security coalition

DORAL: US President Donald Trump urged Latin American nations to use military power against drug cartels, offering US missile strikes to target kingpins. He formally launched a 17-nation “counter cartel” coalition at a summit near Miami.

“We’re working with you to do whatever we have to do. We’ll use missiles,” Trump told a dozen right-wing leaders at his Doral golf club. He suggested the sound of a missile in flight, adding, “That’s the end of that cartel person.”

The White House described the coalition as a pledge from governments to use “hard power” against security threats. Among the leaders attending the “Shield of the Americas” summit were Argentina’s Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.

Trump likened criminal organisations to a cancer, stating, “The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries.” He also issued a warning towards communist-led Cuba, pronouncing it was “in its last moments of life.”

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa posted on social media that the time for cartels to operate without consequences was over. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, however, criticised the gathering as “neocolonial.”

Analyst Irene Mia noted the summit’s notable absences, including leftist-led Mexico and Brazil. She stated that without these key nations, efforts to tackle narcotrafficking would face significant challenges.

The strained security situation has contributed to recent right-wing electoral victories in the region. This trend means US intervention has received less pushback than in the past, according to Mia.

The United States and Ecuador also announced joint operations to combat drug trafficking this week. They released video of a successful strike against “narcoterrorists” in a forested area of Ecuador.

 The Sun Malaysia