The U.S. is reportedly deploying forces to the southern Caribbean Sea to fight Latin American drug cartels, three sources briefed on the decision told Reuters on Thursday.
The initial deployment would include naval and air assets, including spy planes, a warship and an attack submarine, one source told Reuters. President Donald Trump reportedly directed the Pentagon to come up with a plan to go after Latin American drug cartels, which are now designated terrorist organizations.
“This deployment is aimed at addressing threats to U.S. national security from specially designated narco-terrorist organizations in the region,” one source told Reuters.
One official told Reuters that the process will be ongoing for at least a few months, and the assets will operate in international waters and airspace. The naval presence would also serve as a launching pad for any prospective action against cartels if the orders are given, according to Reuters.
Trump reportedly authorized the military to target drug cartels, although it is not known when the president made the decision. In February, the Trump administration designated numerous Latin American drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
Trump also confirmed in May that he had offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to fight the cartels.
Latin American cartels are a major contributor to the fentanyl crisis in America, which is responsible for tens of thousands of American deaths every year. Cartels have also set up shop inside America’s borders, mostly concentrating their activities to Southern border states and large blue states such as Illinois and New York.
The Pentagon has deployed thousands of soldiers to the Southern border to curtail illegal immigration, a major avenue for drug cartels to smuggle product into America.
The Pentagon deferred to the White House when asked for comment, while the White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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