U.S. sending hundreds of troops to Latin America, officials say
The U.S. is sending hundreds of Army soldiers to Latin America to train with local forces, The New York Times and Fox News reported. The Times said the first troops from a 600-soldier unit had begun going to Panama. The U.S. Embassy in Panama called that false and said 120 soldiers are taking a short course there, La Prensa reported.
The United States is sending several hundred Army soldiers to Latin America to train with local forces as the Pentagon widens its campaign against drug trafficking, The New York Times and Fox News reported.
The soldiers are from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, the Times reported. The first troops from a 600-soldier battalion have begun deploying to a new jungle training site in Panama, U.S. military officials told the Times. A senior U.S. official told Fox News that the troops are being staged under U.S. Southern Command, which will decide where they finally go.
From Panama, the troops would train with forces in Colombia and Honduras, officials told the Times. They could also guard U.S. helicopters and back up U.S. special operations troops who advise local militaries on raids against suspected traffickers. Several hundred more 10th Mountain soldiers are set to help staff a new military command in Miami, officials told the Times.
The U.S. Embassy in Panama called the report of 600 soldiers "categorically false," La Prensa reported. The embassy said 120 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are taking a two-week jungle course at Panama's invitation. The embassy said they will return to Fort Drum when their training ends on Oct. 25, La Prensa reported.
The military has carried out 71 boat strikes that have killed at least 239 people it says were trafficking drugs, the Times reported. Fox News put the toll at more than 235.
Gen. Francis Donovan, who heads Southern Command, has said the U.S. is weighing strikes on land, Fox News reported. "We want all options at the table," he told The Wall Street Journal.
Adam Isacson of the Washington Office on Latin America told the Times he could not recall a U.S. deployment to the region "that ever came close to 600," except for invasions or disasters.
What we know: 10th Mountain soldiers are training in Panama as the U.S. widens its anti-drug campaign.
What we don't: How many troops are going and how long they will stay in the region.
Where outlets agree The New York Times and Fox News both report that the U.S. is sending several hundred Army soldiers to Latin America to train with regional forces.
Where they differ The Times reported that the first troops of a 600-soldier battalion were deploying to Panama, while the U.S. Embassy in Panama, quoted by La Prensa, called that false and said 120 soldiers are in a two-week course.