(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has covertly instructed the Pentagon to initiate the use of armed forces against Latin American drug cartels that were previously designated as “terrorist organizations,” A news agency disclosed on Friday, citing sources familiar with the situation.

This new presidential order establishes a formal justification for deploying the US military in operations targeting cartels both at sea and on foreign territory.

According to these sources, the Pentagon has already begun preparing potential military strategies for confronting such groups, the news agency reported.

The exact stance of the White House, Pentagon, and State Department legal teams regarding the directive remains unclear, the newspaper added.

Members of these cartels are still legally considered civilians, and their possible targeting or elimination by the military introduces complex legal challenges.

Earlier this year in February, the Trump administration labeled several foreign drug cartels and organized crime factions as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).

This list encompasses major criminal networks such as the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The designations also included transnational gangs operating within the US, like Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), predominantly composed of Salvadorians, along with the primarily Venezuelan Tren de Aragua crime groups.

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