Guatemala City, Guatemala - Guatemala on Thursday denied reports it had agreed to joint strikes with the US on alleged drug traffickers in the country, but admitted it requested Washington's help in its fight against cartels.

The New York Times reported that Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo agreed to the strikes with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a call last week, quoting two people familiar with the talks.

The move would mark an escalation of US President Donald Trump's fight against what his administration calls "narco-terrorists" operating out of Latin America, which has seen it launch a multinational cartel-fighting alliance and conduct joint strikes in Ecuador.

But the Guatemalan government said Thursday that "there is no agreement authorizing foreign military operations by any country within national territory."

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Acting Pentagon spokesperson Joel Valdez told AFP earlier that the Defense Department "won't speculate on future operations" or discuss operational security.

Guatemala's Arevalo said in a statement that the country had requested Washington's cooperation in its fight against drug gangs, but that it did not involve a US military presence, which would require congressional authorization.

The partnership "will involve access to equipment, training and experts to (support) the planning of operations at both strategic and tactical levels," Arevalo said.

According to a letter published by the Guatemalan government, Defense Minister Henry Saenz told Hegseth that Guatemala "wants to lead, with the assistance of the United States of America, active military operations to combat terrorist organizations designated by the United States" in the Central American country.

In the letter, dated May 23, Saenz refers to this action as "combined operations led by Guatemala."

According to the government statement, Arevalo – along with his defense and foreign ministers – had a phone call with Hegseth "confirming the terms of the cooperation."

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Guatemala's request for US cooperation in combatting drug trafficking falls within the framework of the anti-cartel alliance that Trump launched at a summit in March with Latin American leaders, Saenz said in the letter.

International cartels, with help from local drug traffickers, traffic drugs and launder money in Guatemala and other Central American countries, fueling regional violence.

Around 90% of the cocaine that reaches the US passes through Central America and Mexico in trucks, aircraft, boats, and submarines, according to US officials.