US threatens military action over Mexico's cartel crisis
The United States has threatened Mexico with military action if it does not manage the drug cartels effectively.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth stated that if Mexico does not address the collusion between its government and the drug cartels, the US military is prepared to take unilateral action on the matter.
According to sources familiar with the details of the phone conversation, as reported by "The Wall Street Journal," the highest-ranking representatives of the Mexican armed forces who took part in the conversation were shocked and outraged, interpreting his words as a potential reference to a US military operation on Mexican soil.
The US Department of Defense declined to comment on the issue.
More troops on the border with Mexico
On Friday, US military sources indicated that the army will deploy an additional 1,140 soldiers to the border with Mexico.
This move is part of President Donald Trump's administration's strategy to utilize the military in implementing pre-election policies aimed at combating illegal migration, media sources note.
Units from Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia are set to be sent to the Mexican border. This will raise the number of active-duty soldiers on the border to approximately 4,200.
