Trump announces new military alliance to combat cartels

US President Donald Trump has announced a new military coalition to eradicate criminal cartels at a meeting with Latin America and Caribbean leaders on Saturday.

"On this historic day, we come together to announce a brand new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region," Trump said.

"The heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks. Once and for all, we'll get rid of them," Trump said in comments in the city of Doral in the state of Florida.

Representatives from more than a dozen countries have joined the coalition against cartels, he said. Just as the US formed a coalition to destroy terrorist group Islamic State in the Middle East, it "must now do the same thing to eradicate the cartels at home," he said.

The US administration has pledged to prioritize its own interests in the Western Hemisphere in its national security and defence strategy policies.

Usually with the the Western Hemisphere Washington is referring to North and South America and associated islands. Trump has recently repeated his claim that the US dominates this region.

Trump has also repeatedly slammed established international organizations such as the United Nations, and set up his own, such as the controversial Board of Peace for the Middle East.

The meeting in Florida, dubbed The Shield of the Americas, was attended by representatives from 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries that are close to Trump.

Attendees included right-wing Argentinian President Javier Milei and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. But the region's most populous countries, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, which have left-wing leaders, were not represented.