A contingent of some 200 U.S. marines has begun operating along Guatemala’s western coast in a further escalation of U.S.-backed militarization in Central America. The United States says the Marines are deployed as part of Operation Martillo, an effort to intercept drug traffickers in planes and boats. General Douglas Fraser, the head of the U.S. military’s Southern Command, confirmed the mission on Wednesday.

Gen. Douglas Fraser: “The efforts of the Marines here in Guatemala are to help provide a more persistent detection and monitoring capability for a key arrival zone for maritime traffic in the Pacific, which is the Pacific coast of Guatemala. Once we find information, we will pass that through JIATF-South to the Guatemalan armed forces, the Guatemalan law enforcement and authorities, and they will then take care of the intercepts.”