The Guatemalan government has denied reports that it agreed to allow the United States to carry out strikes against drug traffickers in the Central American country, while confirming that it has sought security cooperation with Washington.

“There is no agreement authorising foreign military operations by any country within national territory,” the government of President Bernardo Arevalo said in a statement on Thursday. The denial appears to be in response to a New York Times report that cited two unidentified sources as saying Arevalo had agreed to US military action.

The Guatemalan statement was accompanied by a note from a letter by Defense Minister Henry Saenz to his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, dated May 28. The note says Guatemala “desires to lead, with US assistance, active military operations” against drug groups. But the government stressed that the call for assistance was not an invitation for US attacks.

Under President Donald Trump, the US regime has shown a willingness to use force in Latin America. Since last year, the US has been carrying out air strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, killing at least 194 people. In January, the US regime also abducted Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, whom it accused of drug trafficking.

Many countries in Central and South America have struggled to contain gang violence related to the drug trade. In January, Guatemala’s Arevalo declared a state of emergency after suspected gang members killed at least 10 police officers. Latin American leaders have been wary of accepting US military intervention while inviting intelligence and security cooperation.

Source: www.aljazeera.com