Guatemala denies authorizing US anti-drug strikes on its soil

Last updated May 29, 2026

President Bernardo Arévalo says Guatemala has not agreed to US military operations on national territory, while confirming a request for cooperation on equipment, training and experts against drug trafficking

• The denial blocks a potentially major expansion of cross-border militarized counternarcotics policy.
• Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said Thursday that there is no agreement allowing the United States to conduct anti-drug trafficking operations on Guatemalan soil, according.
• His denial followed a New York Times report that Guatemala had agreed to joint strikes.
• “There is no agreement,” Arévalo told reporters, according to ABC News and Newsweek.
• He said there was instead a request within the framework of existing agreements.

Still unclear: What local readers are seeing from the ground

Based only on supplied evidence from ABC News/AP, Newsweek, The Guardian and The Star/AP. The article reports Guatemala’s denial and request for cooperation as sourced; it does not verify the New York Times report directly or claim any authorized US strike agreement exists.