President Bernardo Arévalo clarified that Guatemala sought enhanced security cooperation with Washington, not joint military operations on its territory.
6:49 PM
Guatemala's government denied Thursday that it had agreed to allow the United States to conduct military strikes against drug traffickers on Guatemalan soil, following a report by The New York Times citing unnamed Washington sources.
President Bernardo Arévalo said in a statement that "there is no agreement authorising foreign military operations by any country within national territory." The denial came hours after the Times reported that Arévalo had agreed to joint aerial attacks with U.S. forces beginning in June, citing two unidentified sources and referencing a May 19 call between Arévalo and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Arévalo clarified the nature of Guatemala's request to the United States. "What we have done is request the cooperation of the Government of the United States to support these operations led by Guatemala's forces in the framework of combating drug trafficking networks," he said, speaking to journalists in Guatemala City.
The president specified that Guatemala had sought intensified cooperation from Washington in the form of equipment, training, and intelligence support against narcotics trafficking. He characterized the arrangement as an enhancement of existing security cooperation rather than a new agreement involving joint military action.
The Guatemalan government's statement emphasized that no accord had been reached permitting foreign military operations within the country's borders. Officials said the country remains focused on operations led by Guatemalan forces with U.S. support in areas such as equipment provision, personnel training, and intelligence sharing.
The clarification addressed the specific claim in the Times report that the two countries had agreed to conduct joint strikes. Arévalo's comments distinguished between requesting enhanced cooperation in existing security frameworks and accepting foreign military operations on Guatemalan territory.
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