The Pentagon has warned of the consequences that the use of force could bring against the fentanyl cartels in Mexico

The use of armed forces against the cartels that traffic with fentanylas proposed by some Republican MPs, could have “consequences” for the cooperation with Mexicosaid Wednesday an official of the Pentagon.

Republican representatives presented this Wednesday a law Project refer to cartels as “terrorist” groups and several senators have been asking for days that the government allow the US military to fight them wherever they are.

But Melissa G. Dalton, Under Secretary of Defense for National Defense and Continental Affairsis concerned about the consequences of these initiatives if they materialize.

One must “weigh the advantages and disadvantages of some of the steps envisaged in terms of use of force or certain designations” and “have a clear vision of what some of the consequences might be for the lines of cooperation that we have with Mexico,” he said during a congressional hearing on security challenges in Americas.

“I am concerned, based on the signals, the very strong signals that we have received from the Mexicans in the past, the concerns about their sovereigntyconcerns about any reciprocal steps they might take,” said Dalton, who plans to visit Mexico on Wednesday to discuss intelligence, cyber and defense cooperation.

In reaction to the death of two Americans kidnapped in the border town of Matamorossenators Roger Marshall and Rick Scott They introduced a bill that targets cartels in the Gulf, Jalisco Nueva Generación, Sinaloa and the Northeast.

The initiative qualifies them as terrorists, prohibits the entry of their members into American territory, authorizes block your assets and transactions and punishes those who help them materially.

Two other Republicans Lindsey Graham and John Neely Kennedythey will introduce another bill “in the next few days” to designate these groups as foreign terrorist organizations.

They will also ask, said Granham this Wednesday in a press conference, that it be authorized “use military force so that the United States Army can destroy labs where fentanyl, an opioid that killed last year, is produced 70,000 Americans.

Graham wants the military to have the “authority” to pursue these organizations “wherever they exist, not to invade Mexico, not to shoot down Mexican planes, but to destroy the drug labs that are poisoning Americans.”

To come into force, a bill must be approved by the House of Representatives and by the Senate.

Asked about this during the congressional hearing on security challenges in the Americas, General Glen D. Van Herck, head of the northern command, replied, “If I am ordered to plan, execute and use military force, then I will.” However, he added that it is a problem of Department of Homeland Security and JusticeNot the Pentagon.

The United States “will be relentless” so that “justice is done” after the kidnapping of four americans in mexicotwo of whom were found dead, as reported on Tuesday the justice department by a declaration of the Attorney General, Merrick Garland.

“We will do everything in our power to identify, find and hold accountable those responsible for this attack on American citizens,” he added.

“I want to offer my condolences to the families of the Americans who were attacked and kidnapped,” added the head of the US justice portfolio.

For his part, the spokesperson for national security of the White House, John Kirbysaid they “will work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case”.

The Americans were kidnapped after crossing the border in the city ​​of matamorosin northeastern Mexico last Friday to buy medicine, according to the president of that country, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Unidentified gunmen shot and abducted them. Two were found dead and of the two remaining, one is injured, according to Mexican authorities.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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