Peru and the United States are engaging in coordination in order to respond to the possible presence of international terrorist organizations in the region, General Douglas Fraser, the commander of the U.S. Southern Command, said following a meeting with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala.
Peru and the United States are engaging in coordination in order to respond to the possible presence of international terrorist organizations in the region, General Douglas Fraser, the commander of the U.S. Southern Command, said following a meeting with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala.
According to Gen. Fraser, from a regional perspective, there is concern about the presence of one of those transnational organizations.
“I don’t see any concern about this here in Peru, but since they are organizations of international terrorists, we should definitely keep a close watch on them in order to prevent any surprises,” he said at a brief press conference at the Government Palace, speaking through an interpreter.
Gen. Fraser noted that he had a dialogue with President Humala about the way to provide support in response to the probable presence of international criminal organizations, which he considers a threat facing the countries of Latin America.
“We’re dedicated to working to face these threats together,” he said, stressing that the United States maintains “a very close relationship” with the Armed Forces of the countries of Central and South America.
His objective, he added, is to work closely with Peru and the region as a whole in order to confront common challenges. “I trust that this shared effort and commitment will help to confront these transnational threats and reduce their impact in the Western Hemisphere,” he asserted.
The U.S. military commander also announced that he visited the Apurimac and Ene River Valley (VRAE), in the country’s southeast, one of the areas where drug traffickers and remnants of the Shining Path organization have the greatest presence, in order to become more familiar with the problems Peru faces in this regard.