India, Aug. 13 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the recently inaugurated government of Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has requested US collaboration in joint military operations in Colombia to combat "narco-terrorism."

During a meeting of the so-called Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition in Panama, Hegseth said Colombia would also join the "Shield of the Americas" initiative, becoming its 19th member. The initiative emerged from a March summit with US President Donald Trump and Latin American countries that sought to join forces in fighting drug cartels. Colombia's then-president Gustavo Petro was not invited to that meeting.

"Through the newly inaugurated president, as our president likes to say, President El...