Dominican Republic grants US access to restricted areas for its deadly fight against drugs

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader announced Wednesday that he has authorized the United States government to operate inside restricted areas in the Caribbean country to help in its fight against drug trafficking.

For a limited time, the US can refuel aircraft and transport equipment and technical personnel at restricted areas within the San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport, said Abinader, who made the announcement with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at his side.

Hegseth was in Santo Domingo Wednesday to meet with the country’s top leaders, including Abinader and Minister of Defense Lt. Gen. Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre.

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It is the first major public agreement that the US has struck with a Caribbean nation as it seeks friendly allies to support its attacks against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region and beyond. Since the strikes began in early September, at least 83 people have been killed.

Hegseth said the Dominican Republic was a regional leader willing to take on hard challenges.

“That’s why I’m here today. That’s why we decided to come here first,” he said. “The Dominican Republic has stepped up.”

Hegseth said the US would respect the Caribbean country’s sovereignty and laws as US service members and aircraft prepare to deploy to the Dominican Republic. He did not provide additional details.

Meanwhile, Abinader said the scope of the agreement is “technical, limited, and temporary.”

“The purpose is clear: to strengthen the air and maritime protection ring maintained by our Armed Forces, a decisive reinforcement to prevent the entry of narcotics and to strike a more decisive blow against transnational organized crime,” he said.

After a news conference where no questions were allowed, the office of the president issued a statement with more details, noting that several KC-135 tanker aircraft would be present to support air patrol missions, expanding monitoring and interdiction capabilities over a large portion of the maritime and air domains.

“They would also provide refuelling services to aircraft from partner countries, thus ensuring sustained operations for monitoring, detecting, and tracking verified illicit smuggling activities,” according to the statement.

Additionally, C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft would facilitate aeromedical evacuations, firefighting, weather reconnaissance, and disaster relief, the office said.

Abinader noted that the Dominican Republic has seized nearly 10 times more drugs per year in the past five years than in the previous decade thanks to close collaboration with the US.

“Our country faces a real threat, a threat that knows no borders, no flags, that destroys families, and that has been trying to use our territory for decades,” he said. “That threat is drug trafficking, and no country can or should confront it without allies.”

Hegseth praised Abinader, saying that the Dominican Republic “understands the importance of standing up to narco-terrorists and narco-traffickers who flood our countries with drugs and violence.”

“We’re deadly serious about this mission,” Hegseth said, asserting that the US has the best intelligence, lawyers and process. “We know…where they’re leaving from, where they’re going, what they’re bringing, what their intentions are, who they represent.”

Some experts believe the ongoing strikes are a tactic to try and pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down given that the US military has built up its largest presence in the region in generations.