Ecuadorian and U.S. forces have started a joint operation against drug trafficking groups in the South American country, U.S. Southern Command said Tuesday evening.
The operations inside Ecuador are targeting “narco-terrorist” groups that are designated terrorist organizations, SOUTHCOM said. The new mission is the first one announced by the U.S. military since troops returned to a former base in Ecuador this winter and the first ground operation in South America since the raid to capture Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro.
“Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere,” SOUTHCOM said in an announcement posted to X.
In response to questions from Task & Purpose, a SOTHCOM spokesperson said on Wednesday that the command had no information to add beyond its announcement.
The extent of the American presence there is unclear, as is the scope or duration of this joint operation. Video shared by SOUTHCOM showed clips of a helicopter on the ground — which appears to be an Airbus Super Puma — along with black and white video, likely taken from a drone or aircraft overhead, showing ground forces moving toward helicopters on the ground.
SOUTHCOM did not identify the groups, except to say that they are “Designated Terrorist Organizations.” Last year, President Donald Trump’s administration designated two drug trafficking groups, Los Lobos and Los Choneros, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Those groups have caused extensive violence in Ecuador over recent years.
On Monday, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa said that Ecuador would carry out joint operations with allies in the region, including the United States, starting this month. The operations would be a “new phase against drug trafficking and illegal mining.”
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The operation also comes a day after SOUTHCOM’s new chief, Marine Gen. Francis Donovan, wrapped up a two-day visit to Ecuador and met with its top leaders.
Ecuador’s government has been an ally of the Trump administration, with several top officials visiting the nation over the last year. President Daniel Noboa had pushed for a referendum that would have allowed the return of foreign bases. That was defeated in November, but a month later, the United States said it was sending an unspecified number of troops to the country to help Ecuador’s military “counter narco-terrorism.”
Troops have been deployed to the former U.S. base at Manta, which is also operated by Ecuador’s military. In December, SOUTHCOM said that a “short-term mission will be conducted within the framework of existing bilateral agreements and in accordance with Ecuadorian law.”
The Department of Defense has ramped up military action in Latin America in the name of countering drug trafficking. Since September, military aircraft have launched dozens of strikes against small ships in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, accused by the administration of being drug smugglers, killing roughly 150 people.
