The Secretary of War of the United States, Pete Hegseth, affirmed that military operations will be carried out in Guatemala against the cartels, similar to the one that the northern country carried out in Venezuela, which resulted in the neutralization of Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias Warrior Boy, identified by the US Government as the leader of the structure known as the Aragua Train, whose death was confirmed last Friday by US President Donald Trump.
Weeks ago, the Executive has maintained that it will not allow US military operations on Guatemalan soil, a position that until this Sunday it says it maintains.
Hegseth’s statements came during an interview with CBS News, where he indicated that The government of Delcy Rodríguez, of Venezuela, “was the one that invited the United States to use its military force to neutralize the Warrior Boy”.
The Secretary of War indicated during the interview that “Rodríguez requested military aid from the United States because they had a foreign terrorist organization like the Tren de Aragua in their territory,” which is why they agreed to provide cooperation to neutralize the leader of said organization with the support of US special forces.
He also highlighted that the operation was carried out in a similar way to those carried out against terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda or the Islamic State (Isis). Helseght stated that countries like Ecuador and Guatemala “come” to work with the United States, which they will take full advantage of to carry out similar military operations.
“Just as we showed that we were very good with Isis and Al Qaeda, in the Middle East for 20 years; it is an incredible reinforcement of the Monroe Doctrine, now the Dunro Doctrine. We are taking back control of our hemisphere (…) it is a beautiful thing, it is a beautiful military thing to behold; other countries are coming to us to work with us and we are going to make the most of it” Indian.
Should Americans expect similar operations in places like Ecuador or Guatemala?the interviewer questioned Hegseth, to which the official responded yes.
According to the US official, countries like Guatemala are part of the US Coalition Against Cartels (ACCC), which they are forming with partner governments from across Central and South America “to pursue, defeat and destroy foreign terrorist organizations, drug cartels.”
“All of those countries that you mentioned (Ecuador and Guatemala) are stepping forward to work in partnerships with the United States, where we work with their governments and their armed forces, with their special capabilities and our special capabilities to hunt down terrorist networks in our own hemisphere,” Hegseth said.
The operation to neutralize Warrior Boy It was carried out by military personnel from the United States Southern Commandas confirmed by the US president, who assured that “a quick and lethal attack” had been carried out in Venezuelan territory.
military intervention
In recent weeks, President Bernardo Arévalo has been questioned about the possibility of US soldiers invading Guatemalan territory. The president has declared that the Government “does not plan” that US military operations will raid Guatemala.
Arévalo has also assured that support was requested from the US government for the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, which consists of equipment, training and help from experts to support the planning of operations at a tactical and strategic level.
The president also said that This support “does not contemplate foreign military activities” in Guatemalan territory.
Regarding the statements given this Sunday by the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, The Presidency of the Republic was consulted again to find out if the position given by President Bernardo Arévalo a few days ago is maintained. on the deployment of US military personnel in Guatemala.
In this sense, the response was the following: “There is no authorization or agreement for foreign military forces to carry out combat operations in Guatemalan territory. Cooperation with the United States focuses on training, exchange of intelligence, technology and strengthening of capabilities, with Guatemala maintaining sovereign control of all operations carried out in the country,” stated the Presidency of the Republic.
Approaches
On June 4, General Francis L. Donovan, head of the United States Southern Command, visited Guatemala. He met with President Bernardo Arévalo, the Minister of the Interior, Marco Antonio Villeda; the Minister of Defense, Henry Sáenz, and senior military commanders to address aspects related to the military cooperation that the United States will provide to the country in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime structures.
“It has been a pleasure to meet with General Francis L. Donovan, commander of the United States Southern Command. Our meeting strengthens the bilateral cooperation that we maintain in matters of security, the fight against drug trafficking and the fight against transnational organized crime. Guatemala has shown that it is not willing to give up its borders, its institutions and its future to organized crime, and we appreciate the willingness of the United States government to collaborate with our efforts in this matter,” Arévalo stated on his X account.
The Presidency of the Republic also issued a statement on that occasion indicating that, during the meeting between the president and the head of the United States Southern Command, the progress made in recent months in joint efforts to counter the threats posed by drug trafficking networks and other criminal organizations that affect the security, stability and development of the region was discussed.
He also indicated that the Government of Guatemala maintains its commitment to the security of the population and the recovery of control of the territory, which are fundamental priorities.
“General Donovan’s visit has been key to consolidating coordination and cooperation mechanisms that contribute to confronting transnational threats that affect the entire region,” indicates the communication from the Presidency.
International media such as The New York Times and The Country They have reported the interest of the United States in Guatemala becoming a territory to develop joint operations.
The Government of Guatemala has denied that possibility and assures that it has requested cooperation to combat drug trafficking in terms of training, equipment and other supplies, but has ruled out operations by US troops from Guatemalan territory.
