Guatemala formally requested US support Thursday for fighting drug cartels while denying that it had agreed to carry out joint strikes with the United States military inside its territory.
Guatemala and the US have maintained a bilateral agreement to combat drug trafficking since 2024. However, recent reports by US media outlets claimed that Guatemala had agreed to grant access to foreign troops, something the government of President Bernardo Arevalo denied.
"There is no agreement authorizing foreign military operations by any country within national territory. The Minister of National Defense, Henry Saenz, sent a note to his counterpart in the United States, Pete Hegseth, requesting U.S. cooperation in operations led by Guatemalan security forces against drug trafficking organizations," a statement said.
According to the New York Times, the US would carry out direct operations within Guatemalan territory alongside local forces.
Earlier in the day, Arevalo and Saenz held a phone call with Hegseth to outline security arrangements, emphasizing that the Guatemalan government intends to lead all operations against criminal groups identified within its territory, with the US providing intelligence support.
"In accordance with existing bilateral agreements and arrangements, such combined military operations led by Guatemala will deepen bilateral interests in defeating terrorist organizations and advancing regional and hemispheric security," Saenz said in the statement.
Drug trafficking has expanded and intensified throughout Guatemala. This week, the government announced the seizure of 65 packages of suspected cocaine at Puerto Quetzal, Escuintla and the dismantling of the largest cocaine processing laboratory in recent years.
Guatemala is part of the initiative led by US President Donald Trump to combat drug trafficking organizations in the hemisphere known as the Shield of the Americas. Since Trump's return for a second term, Guatemala has closely aligned itself with the White House's political agenda.
