Colombia authorizes joint anti-drug ops with US military

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that Colombia has authorized joint military operations with the United States to target armed groups, marking a significant expansion of Washington's campaign against cartels in Latin America. Speaking at a meeting of the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition in Panama City, Hegseth confirmed that Colombia, under its newly inaugurated conservative president, has joined the U.S.-led security coalition and requested Pentagon assistance in its fight against what the administration terms "narcoterrorism."

The announcement follows the inauguration of Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella last week, who has pledged an all-out war on organized drug crime and rebel groups. The Trump administration has embraced this shift, with the State Department announcing plans to provide $1 billion in security assistance to Bogota. Hegseth stated that Colombia has authorized "joint military operations to destroy terrorists and terror networks," and when asked if this included strikes against groups like the National Liberation Army (ELN) and remnants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, he affirmed that "designated terrorist...