New York, September 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
US President Donald Trump has urged countries across the Western Hemisphere to treat narcoterrorist groups as common threats and impose sweeping sanctions on organisations already designated by the United States as foreign terrorist entities.
Addressing the Shield of the Americas event, Trump described drug cartels as a major threat to regional security and pledged US support to governments seeking to dismantle their networks.
“Today, I’m asking all nations in the Shield of the Americas to formally designate narcoterrorists as common threats to stability and apply crushing sanctions against all 24 US designated foreign terrorist organizations,” Trump said.
He also called for coordinated action against drug trafficking organisations operating across national borders.
“For years, cartels have waged war on the people of this hemisphere. Now we’re waging war on them,” Trump said, stressing that protecting the safety of citizens should be the foremost responsibility of regional leaders.
Trump described the cartels as “violent terrorists” and “paramilitary forces in control of physical territory” and said the US would support countries confronting them.
“You let us know and we take them out, or you take them out yourself. I like that even better. But if you can’t, we’ll do it for you,” he said.
Trump thanked participating nations for joining the Department of War’s America Counter Cartel Coalition and described the Shield of the Americas as a major regional alliance focused on economic and national security.
He also claimed that fentanyl entering the United States by sea had declined by 97 per cent, without providing details to substantiate the figure during his remarks.
Beyond the fight against organised crime, Trump urged participating governments to prevent hostile foreign powers from gaining control over strategic resources and infrastructure in the region. He specifically cited energy pipelines, rare earth elements and agricultural trade corridors.
“The resources of the Americas must always belong to the people of the Americas,” Trump said, adding that Washington was ready to work with regional governments to strengthen their economies and security.
Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori said Peru was joining the initiative with “great determination and great enthusiasm”. She referred to her country’s experience fighting the Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA), while noting that organised crime today operates across borders.
“But right now, we have a different type of problem. This crime that we are facing doesn’t respect frontiers,” Fujimori said, welcoming Trump’s initiative.
Trump said governments would have to take a firm approach to organised crime, arguing that toughness was necessary to curb criminal activity.
The Shield of the Americas brings together governments seeking greater cooperation with Washington on organised crime, migration, economic security and foreign interference. Trump also linked cartel violence and irregular migration to wider political changes across the region.
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