Colombia's new president vows to 'defeat narco-terrorists' in first speech as leader

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has vowed to restore order and eradicate narco-terrorists in his first speech as leader. He took office after winning a runoff election in June on promises to crack down on armed groups and revive the oil and gas sector.

De la Espriella, who holds dual US and Colombian citizenship, has adopted a military salute as his signature move and has offered to host US troops on Colombian soil. He wants to bomb jungle cocaine labs, build mega-prisons, and slash the size of the state by as much as 40%, according to the Japan Times.

The new president's inauguration took place in the southwestern city of Cali, a break from tradition. He has pledged to relentlessly defeat narco-terrorism, saying that the option of dialogue is completely exhausted, and has expressed a desire to join US President Donald Trump's regional anti-cartel alliance known as Shield of the Americas, as reported by Le Monde English.

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, Japan Times, Free Malaysia Today, Punch Nigeria, South China Morning Post — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.