President Donald Trump has reportedly directed the Pentagon to use military force against drug cartels in Latin America, marking an extreme escalation that could further isolate the U.S. and cause more global instability.
The details of the order are scant, but the military has reportedly begun exploring options for going after certain cartels, sources said.
The Times reports that the order “provides an official basis for the possibility of direct military operations at sea and on foreign soil against cartels.”
The order comes after the Trump administration designated several cartels as global terrorist organizations.
Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to identify cartels — including ones that may not be involved in drug trading — as foreign or global terrorist groups.
Experts have previously said that using military force in Trump’s supposed crackdown on gangs is extremely risky.
The U.S. has a long history of attempts to use military force in Latin America in supposed attempts to combat the drug trade; such attempts also have ties to the U.S.’s anti-communist efforts. »