Trump blames cartels for the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into American communities (Image: Getty Images)
Military sources have indicated the Trump administration is preparing for lethal strikes against key targets in Mexican cartels.
Sources told journalist Ken Klippenstein that the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) was directed to manage the attack plans and have them ready by the middle of next month.
One senior intelligence official told Klippenstein that US President Donald Trump is uniquely focused on so-called transnational criminal organisations (TCOs) and has shown himself to be willing to take unilateral action despite potentially negative political ramifications.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the US must start treating cartels as 'armed terrorist organizations' (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Now, the Special Operations Command (SOCNORTH) that is part of NORTHCOM is being asked to prepare potential strike targets and direct action - smaller attack operations - against the likes of the notorious cartels Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation. That means the US could be preparing strikes similar to ones seen caried out in the Middle East. It may involve air and drone strikes.
On his Substack page, Klippenstein wrote: "Think of the airstrikes on Iran this summer as a kind of direct action, against a discrete target with a strategic or national purpose."
The military action discussed by NORTHCOM is unilateral, meaning it would not involve the Mexican government and would be conducted without their approval, raising questions over Mexicos sovereignty. Previous operations have been clandestine with a view of protecting the sovereignty of the US southern border neighbour.
