Trump administration launches US military operation in Ecuador
Critics have questioned the increasing scope and deadly consequences of US anti-narcotics operations in Latin America.
- EXPLAINER
Is the US arming Mexican cartels?
![High-voltage power lines of Colombia's national public energy grid stretch over a roadway as motorcyclists cross a bridge, after Colombia announced it would suspend electricity sales to Ecuador. [FILE: Jair Coll/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-02-26T153031Z_1693651605_RC2WDJAIXO3M_RTRMADP_3_ECUADOR-COLOMBIA-TRADE-1772138089.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![A police officer mans a gun atop a vehicle as workers (not pictured) remove the wreckage of a trailer used to block a highway after a series of blockades and attacks by organized crime following a military operation in which cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera, "El Mencho," was killed, in Ecuandureo, Mexico, February 23, 2026. [Ivan Arias/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-02-24T002512Z_2033789_RC2KRJAPZZMO_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-VIOLENCE-MENCHO-1771965549.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference about the wave of violence in Mexico, following the killing of Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as 'El Mencho', in a military operation on Sunday, at Palacio Nacional, in Mexico City, Mexico, February 23, 2026. [Raquel Cunha/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/reuters_699e2105-1771970821.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
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The killing of Mexican drug lord El Mencho: How it unfolded
A major cartel boss is dead. How did Mexican forces locate and kill El Mencho, the country’s most notorious drug lord?
Schools shut, troops on streets: Mexico on alert after ‘El Mencho’ killing
Authorities deploy 10,000 soldiers nationwide to quell violence following the drug lord’s killing in an operation.
EXPLAINER
With ‘El Mencho’ killed, what’s next for Mexico and the Jalisco cartel?
Mexico kills Oseguera Cervantes, triggering violence and uncertainty over the CJNG’s future power structure.
Mexican officials say 25 soldiers killed in clashes following cartel raid
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says that calm is being restored and improvised cartel roadblocks are being removed.
What we know about Mexican drug cartel leaders still at large
While Mexico’s government hails killing of drug kingpin El Mencho, other cartel leaders continue to evade capture.
El Mencho’s killing won’t solve Mexico’s cartel problem – or anything else
The killings of other cartel kingpins have done little to stem the production and flow of drugs towards the US.
![A burned bus blocks a highway leading to Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico on February 22, 2026. [Casey Premoshis/Al Jazeera]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/DSCF4424-1771864856.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80)
From: NewsFeed
Cartel attacks kill more than two dozen people in Mexico
Cartel reprisals for the killing of drug lord “El Mencho” killed at least 25 Mexican National Guard soldiers.
Published On 23 Feb 2026
![Mexico's Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo and Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum attend a press conference about the wave of violence in Mexico, following the killing of Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as 'El Mencho', in a military operation on Sunday, at Palacio Nacional, in Mexico City, Mexico, February 23, 2026. [Raquel Cunha/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-02-23T140155Z_169190197_RC2QRJALR37J_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-SHEINBAUM_cropped-1771859307.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80)
From: NewsFeed
Mexican general details operation that led to ‘El Mencho’ killing
Mexico’s Secretary of National Defense said a meeting between “El Mencho” and a romantic partner revealed his location.
Published On 23 Feb 2026
EXPLAINER
Who was ‘El Mencho’? What drug lord’s killing means for Mexico
The US-backed operation that killed ‘El Mencho’ sparks a wave of violence across the country.
From: NewsFeed
Violence erupts in Mexico after killing of drug lord ‘El Mencho’
A wave of violence swept Mexico after security forces killed cartel kingpin ‘El Mencho’.
Published On 23 Feb 2026