International News: Colombia seeks U.S. military support to combat drug cartels

By Zoila Palma:  Colombia’s newly inaugurated president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has requested U.S. military assistance in the country’s fight against drug trafficking and what his government describes as narco-terrorism.

The request marks a tougher approach to Colombia’s drug trade and aligns closely with the Trump administration’s campaign against organized drug-trafficking groups, The Telegraph reports.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that Colombia had asked the U.S. Department of War to participate in joint military operations aimed at dismantling alleged terrorist networks.

De la Espriella, who took office on August 7 after campaigning on a zero-tolerance approach to the narcotics trade, has also pledged aggressive action against drug kingpins, including a bombing campaign and the construction of large-scale prisons modeled after those in El Salvador.

Colombia also formally joined the Trump administration’s “Shield of the Americas” anti-drug-trafficking coalition, becoming its 19th member.

At a summit of the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition in Panama, Colombian Defence Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora signed the agreement, further strengthening security cooperation between Bogotá and Washington.

The policy represents a significant shift from former President Gustavo Petro, who strongly criticized U.S. military strikes against suspected drug traffickers and had kept Colombia outside the coalition.

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