Santo Domingo, Nov 26 (EFE). - The United States will use two Dominican airports on a 'provisional' basis as part of its fight against drug trafficking in the region through 'Operation South Lance', Dominican President Luis Abinader and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday after meeting at the National Palace. President Abinader stated that the Las Américas International Airport and the San Isidro Military Airport, both in Santo Domingo province, will allocate areas for the transport of equipment and technical personnel as part of Washington's operations in the Caribbean. Abinader did not provide further details on the scope of this cooperation, but said it falls within the 'special permissions' granted to the United States under bilateral cooperation protocols on security. Hegseth's visit was announced by the Dominican government as part of the reinforcement of both countries' fight against international drug trafficking, at a time when the United States is conducting an operation to destroy speedboats leaving South America, which the Donald Trump administration claims were heading to the United States. 'This fight against drug trafficking is a priority for his administration, as it is a threat that affects national and regional stability. President (American Donald) Trump believes in and reinforces these alliances,' the high-ranking official emphasized. Like Abinader, the head of the Pentagon stated that the use of areas in the two Dominican airports will be 'provisional,' for which he thanked Abinader for these facilities and recognized the Dominican Republic as a 'regional leader' in the fight against drug trafficking. 'The United States and the Dominican Republic have a lot in common, one of them is border security. For us, border security is very important, as President Trump says, and I think you should say it here in this country too,' he added. 'No country can or should face it alone,' Abinader stated. Dominican authorities have reported the seizure of 1,290 packages of drugs in two operations carried out this month under 'Operation South Lance'. Hegseth, for his part, thanked the Dominican government for its cooperation in the matter and highlighted that U.S. actions represent the 'only language' that drug traffickers and terrorist organizations understand. 'We are defending our citizens, we seek security for our countries to continue to prosper, to end so much violence and to save tens of thousands of lives. This is essential to protect our families and to preserve stability.'
