Trump vows expanded US action against drug cartels in Mexico

US President Donald Trump has said the United States will expand operations against drug cartels in Mexico, including action on land, during his first sit‑down interview since the capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro.

“We've knocked out 97 per cent of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land,” Trump told US media. 

“The cartels are running Mexico; it’s very sad to watch and see what’s happened to that country.”

He claimed drug trafficking was responsible for mass deaths in the US, saying: “They’re killing 250,000, 300,000 in our country every single year.”

Trump praised US forces involved in the Venezuelan operation, describing them as a “fantastic group”, and said the mission had been “planned so beautifully”. He also referred to Cuban soldiers involved, saying: “I don’t even want to say how many, but they got wiped out.”

The president said supporters had dubbed his foreign policy approach the “Donroe Doctrine”, which he described as focused on regional security. “We don't want drugs pouring into our country,” he said, adding: “We don't want bad people coming into our county.”

Trump also argued that Cuba could not survive without Venezuelan support, saying: “No. Cuba totally relies on Venezuela for money and for oil, and they give Venezuela protection.”

He said Venezuela had agreed to release political prisoners and allow US involvement in its oil sector, calling the resources worth “billions and billions”. Trump announced he would meet oil executives at the White House, saying: “The top 14 companies are coming here. They’re going to rebuild the entire oil infrastructure.”

Turning to Iran, Trump warned the authorities against using force on protesters. “If they do that, we're going to hit them very hard. We can hit them hard. We're ready to do it.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev