Ecuadorian and U.S. forces launched joint operations to combat drug trafficking, U.S. Southern Command said Tuesday, but neither side gave more details.
Southern Command, which is the U.S. military’s combatant command that encompasses 31 countries through South and Central America and the Caribbean, said in a statement on social media website X that the action was meant to combat illicit drug trafficking.
Ecuador’s Defense Ministry said in a statement it was working with the U.S. in an “offensive” operation and added that details were classified.
“We commend the men and women of the Ecuadorian armed forces for their unwavering commitment to this fight, demonstrating courage and resolve through continued actions against narco-terrorists in their country," SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan said in a statement attributed to him in the command's X post.
The announcement came after President Daniel Noboa had said on Monday that his government would conduct joint operations with the U.S. and other allies in March, framing the effort as “a new phase against narco-terrorism and illegal mining.”
A new U.S. military-led task force specializing in intelligence collection on drug cartels played a role in the Mexican military raid that killed elusive crime boss Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho,” last month, the biggest takedown of a cartel kingpin in at least a decade.
