BRITISH officers have trained over a hundred Mexican troops in “strategic leadership,” despite moves by the country’s newly elected socialist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (Amlo) to distance himself from Western foreign policy.

Mexican and British military figures atop the HSBC headquarters in Mexico City

A “particularly strong cohort” of Mexican soldiers, pilots, sailors and spies were invited on a five day course held at the HSBC Tower in the heart of Mexico City’s financial district from March 11 to 15.

The training was delivered by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Taylor and Dr Ifti Zaidi, an ex-Pakistan army soldier who now lectures at Britain’s Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire.

The duo reportedly used the “Bosnia case study as a vehicle to discuss leadership and decision making, and their implications at the strategic, operational and tactical levels.”

The training closed with a session from Hank Cole, HSBC’s head of security and risk for Latin America.

British officials said the sessions were “extremely well received with a high level of debate and candid input from the delegates.”

The week-long training is the latest sign of strong ties between Mexican and British security forces. Mexico’s army has been accused of links to drug cartels and involvement in the abduction and murder of 43 students in Iguala in 2014.

Armed forces minister Mark Lancaster MP travelled to Mexico City in December where he was a guest at Amlo’s inauguration, an event also attended by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Lancaster met with a general and an admiral to discuss joint training opportunities and “building upon a recently signed memorandum of understanding between the two nations on defence co-operation.”

The Tory minister said: “We have a strong defence relationship with Mexico and my first meetings have made me confident their new regime will work effectively alongside us to tackle the shared threats we face.”