America in a military operation in Ecuador

The U.S. Southern Command announced on Tuesday that American and Ecuadorian armed forces have launched a series of decisive joint operations against illegal drug trafficking. The command, which covers 31 countries across South and Central America as well as the Caribbean, stated this on social media platform 'X', but both parties have refrained from revealing further details about the operation.

The Ecuadorian Ministry of Defense indicates that information related to these offensive operations has been kept confidential.

This official announcement was issued a day after Ecuador declared that Washington was involved in a new phase of the war against drugs. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, considered a close friend of Donald Trump, emphasized that the United States, along with regional allies, is participating in the operation to suppress drug traffickers who transport cocaine to the international market using ports. To discuss this, the President met with U.S. Southern Command Chief Francis Donovan and Special Operations Chief Mark Schaefer last Monday in the capital, Quito. A statement issued by the President's office indicated that extensive discussions were held regarding information exchange and operational coordination at air and naval ports.

Approximately seventy percent of the drugs produced in Colombia and Peru, the world's leading cocaine-producing countries, are transported to other countries via neighboring Ecuador. Due to the severe gang conflicts caused by this massive drug trafficking, Ecuador, once one of the safest countries in Latin America, has become one of the most dangerous countries in the region within a few years.

Security cooperation between the United States and Ecuador has significantly increased since the right-wing leader Noboa came to power in 2023. Although the President attempted to reopen a closed U.S. military base last year, the public opposed it in a November referendum against changing the law prohibiting foreign bases. However, the U.S. announced last December that a contingent of air force personnel would be temporarily assigned to the former U.S. military base in the port city of Manta.