WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military is increasing its airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities, the top U.S. general overseeing troops in North America said on Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a number of actions on immigration and the border with Mexico, including sending thousands of additional troops and threatening to label cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
“We have also increased some uniquely military capabilities that will get after… the cartels, which are driving the illegal migration, and that is primarily through airborne ISR to get more information on those and figure out how we can counter their actions,” said Air Force General Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command.
ISR stands for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Asked if he would need a carrier strike group in the waters between the United States and Mexico, Guillot said: “I will need significant increased maritime presence in cooperation with the Coast Guard.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, speaking before Guillot made his remarks, said that Mexico was not alarmed by the flights since they were over U.S. territory, but wanted more details on them.
“This is not the first time that there have been flights of this type, it’s not out of nowhere… Will we ask for an explanation? Yes, but as part of our coordination with them,” she said.
In a recent executive order, Trump called for his administration to make a recommendation on whether to label cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
Sheinbaum has previously said that Mexico is in close communication with the United States and that she does not think the Trump administration would take military action against the cartels, which would be seen as a breach of sovereignty by many Mexicans.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali. Additional reporting by Raul Cortes in Mexico City; Editing by Nia Williams)
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