美国向南美派遣“猎杀”无人机以打击贩毒集团。据美国官员称，MQ-9“死神”无人机——以执行高调致命打击而闻名——已从非洲调往哥伦比亚和厄瓜多尔。
U.S. Sends ‘Hunter-Killer’ Drones to South America to Target Cartels MQ-9 Reaper drones — known for high-profile deadly strikes — have been shifted from Africa to Colombia and Ecuador, U.S. officials said.
作为特朗普政府新近聚焦于打击拉丁美洲贩毒集团的迹象，美国军方已将多架MQ-9“死神”无人机从非洲转移至哥伦比亚和厄瓜多尔，美国官员表示。
In a sign of the Trump administration’s new focus on combating Latin American cartels, the U.S. military has moved a number of MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to Colombia and Ecuador, U.S. officials said.
MQ-9“死神”无人机常用于精确打击，例如2020年那次导致伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队圣城旅指挥官卡西姆·苏莱曼尼少将丧生的致命行动。这些飞机造价高达5000万美元，在伊朗战争中的损失后供应短缺，至少45架（约占美国机队总数的四分之一）已被摧毁。
MQ-9 Reaper drones are often used for precision strikes like the lethal operation that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, who led the powerful Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in 2020. The aircraft, which can cost up to $50 million, are in short supply after losses in the Iran war, where at least 45, or about a quarter of the overall U.S. fleet, have been destroyed.
两名熟悉该决定的美国官员描述了此次转移，他们要求匿名，因为他们未被授权就这一行动事项公开发言。
The transfer was described by two U.S. officials familiar with the decision who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on an operational matter.
此举正值该政府加强对拉丁美洲贩运集团的军事攻势。负责拉丁美洲大部分地区的美国最高军事指挥官弗朗西斯·L·多诺万将军表示，美国计划将行动从打击船只扩展到打击陆地目标。
The move comes as the administration ramps up its military offensive against Latin American trafficking groups. The top U.S. military commander for most of Latin America, Gen. Francis L. Donovan, has said that the United States plans to expand operations from strikes on boats to strikes on land.
前美国外交官弗朗西斯科·帕尔米耶里曾参与制定美国反毒品战略，包括在特朗普第一任期内，并曾在乔·拜登总统任内担任驻哥伦比亚代理大使。他表示，无人机的重新部署是“政府发出的一个重大信号，表明我们正在认真对待此事”。
The redeployment of drones is “a significant signal from the administration that we are getting serious,” said Francisco Palmieri, a former U.S. diplomat who helped shape U.S. counternarcotics strategy, including during the first Trump administration, and who served as acting ambassador to Colombia under President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
帕尔米耶里先生表示，他无法就重新部署在行动层面的意义发表评论。“但作为一个政治象征，它是显而易见的，”他说。“这是承诺扩大合作水平和类型的迹象。”
Mr. Palmieri said he could not comment on the significance of the redeployment at the operational level. “But as a political symbol, it’s unmistakable,” he said. “It’s a sign of a commitment to expand both the level and type of cooperation.”