The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, has announced that he has granted the United States “special permission” to use “restricted areas” of several of its airports for a limited time as part of the US military deployment in the Caribbean.
This was stipulated during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the National Palace. The agreement will affect the San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport, as he indicated.
With an eye toward the “fight against drug trafficking,” an issue Washington continues to cite to justify its attacks on vessels in the Caribbean Sea, the measure falls under Operation Southern Spear.
The agreement will facilitate the transport of equipment and technical personnel to Washington under existing bilateral security cooperation protocols between the two countries, according to Abinader, who highlighted this collaboration but did not provide further details.
“This will be carried out with prior authorization and direct accompaniment by Dominican authorities, the Ministry of Defense, and the National Drug Control Directorate. Its scope is technical, limited, and temporary,” the president clarified during a press conference.
“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,” he stated.
Hegseth, for his part, took the opportunity to thank the Dominican authorities and praised the country, which he described as a “regional leader in the fight against drugs.” “U.S. actions are the only language understood by drug traffickers and terrorist organizations,” he asserted.
The attacks carried out by the United States have so far left about 80 dead in areas of the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific, in bombings that have already been criticized by international organizations, which warn of violations of International Law.
