‎Trump Says US Is 'Starting' Land Strikes on Drug Operations in Latin America

‎President Donald Trump said the United States would be “starting” land strikes against drug operations in Latin America, signaling a possible expansion of the administration’s military campaign against drug trafficking networks. He did not specify when or where the land actions would begin or whether steps could still be taken by affected countries to prevent the escalation.

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‎Trump says the US will begin land strikes against drug operations in Latin America, expanding military actions beyond maritime targets.

‎Alex Wong/Getty Images 

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‎Trump made the remarks Friday during comments to reporters in the Oval Office, stating that maritime interdictions had already reduced drug flows significantly. He said the administration had disrupted 96% of drugs entering the United States by water and indicated that land-based operations would now follow, describing them as easier to carry out.

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‎The comments followed several days of statements from the president pledging to broaden the effort against drug smuggling. The expansion comes after the Pentagon launched a series of attacks on what it described as drug-smuggling boats operating in international waters off the coast of South America.

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‎Trump said the potential land targeting would not be limited to a single country. He noted that the actions would not necessarily be confined to Venezuela and said individuals involved in bringing drugs into the United States would be considered targets under the campaign.

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‎The president also framed the fight against drug trafficking in military terms. He told reporters that counting overdose deaths in a similar manner to combat fatalities would portray the issue as a war on a scale he described as unparalleled.

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‎Land strikes would mark a significant escalation of US actions in the region. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier in the week warned that foreign attacks on his country would be met with a response, calling on the working class to mount a general insurrectionary strike and push for a more radical revolution.