by Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby
The U.S. Army is moving hundreds of soldiers to Latin America who are expected to train local troops and eventually carry out raids and operations targeting terrorist drug cartels. The deployments come as Mexico, one of the main hotspots for cartel violence, is one of the few countries still refusing to fully cooperate with the United States in the effort to eradicate the terrorist organizations.
Mexico continues to hide behind claims of national sovereignty and constantly demands evidence of wrongdoing when the targets are politicians tied to the country’s ruling party.
To strengthen a regional coalition of 19 countries, the U.S. Army reportedly sent 600 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous sources. While the U.S. government has not confirmed the deployment, the reported movement matches a growing presence of U.S. troops in Latin America aimed at bolstering the Shield of the Americas initiative aimed at fighting terrorist drug cartels.
As Breitbart Texas reported, military forces have already taken part in raids. U.S. troops worked alongside Ecuadorian forces in September to take down a cell of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) members from Mexico who were operating in that country. At the time, government officials claimed that the CJNG members did not have ties to local gangs or criminal organizations but had set up operations there to help funnel drugs from other countries north towards Mexico and eventually the United States.
At its inception, the Shield of the Americas included 13 countries, including the United States. Since then, additional countries have joined the movement. The main detractors of the initiative are countries with left-leaning governments such as Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.